SportAccord
SportAccord is a Lausanne-based non-profit association, founded in 2003, that organizes global sports business conventions — the SportAccord Convention and IF Forum — convening International Federations, host cities, and sports industry suppliers through annual events and supporting services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLausanne, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What SportAccord does
SportAccord is a Lausanne-headquartered non-profit association, established in 2003, that organizes flagship international sports conventions. Its core offering is a two-event platform: the SportAccord Convention, a multi-sport business gathering expected to host approximately 1,700 delegates, 50+ exhibitors, and 120+ International Federations in Baku, Azerbaijan on 9–13 May 2027; and the IF Forum, an annual Lausanne-based forum designed by and for International Federations, projected at 500+ attendees, 40+ speakers, and 120+ IFs in October 2026.
The organization's technology stack is event-operations oriented rather than product-software oriented: a delegate mobile application with messaging, meeting requests, and structured delegate profiles; electronic badge scanning with optional delegate use; facial-recognition-assisted badge printing; and informational portals (.Sport domain service; sustainability.sport). No public API, SDK, or developer platform is offered. Partners and IFs engage through the website, email, social channels, and direct outreach.
The revenue model rests on three streams: delegate registration passes (one-time, with early-bird discount pricing), silver and gold exhibition and partnership fees, and event sponsorships. Customer segments are vertical: International Sports Federations (primary), Host Cities and National Sports Organizations (primary), Sports Industry Suppliers, and Sports Media. Long-tenured partners include the International Olympic Committee (supporting stakeholder), ASOIF, ARISF, AIMS, World Olympic Features, and Sport Event Denmark. The 2026 Convention was postponed and rescheduled to May 2027, and Kelly Fairweather was appointed Managing Director in October 2025.
SportAccord firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SportAccord
- Legal name
- SportAccord
- Website
- https://sportaccord.sport
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SportAccord is a Lausanne-based non-profit association, founded in 2003, that organizes global sports business conventions — the SportAccord Convention and IF Forum — convening International Federations, host cities, and sports industry suppliers through annual events and supporting services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SportAccord industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sports Event Management & Convention Services
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums (MPAGAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- International Sport Federations (IFs) (MPAKAFAB), Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM)
Keywords
Where SportAccord is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lausanne
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
SportAccord business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Delegate Passes: Revenue generated from delegate registrations for SportAccord Convention and IF Forum events
- Exhibition & Partnership Fees: Silver and gold partnership tiers for organizations to exhibit and engage with international sports community
- Sponsorship: Event sponsorship opportunities including branding, speaking slots, and networking access
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Early bird delegate passes available at preferred rates |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
SportAccord product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SportAccord organizes premier global sports business events, including the SportAccord Convention and the SportAccord Forum (IF Forum), which bring together International Federations, host cities, and sports industry stakeholders. The organization provides event management services, delegate networking tools, and associated digital services such as .Sport domain administration, AIMS membership processing, and a sustainability portal for the international sports community.
Product overview
SportAccord operates a platform-plus-events model centered around two flagship conventions: the SportAccord Convention (a major global sports business event attracting 1,700+ delegates, 50+ exhibitors, and 120+ International Federations) and the SportAccord Forum (also called IF Forum, a smaller forum designed for International Federations with 500+ attendees and 40+ speakers). Supporting services include the .Sport domain service, AIMS Membership processing, and a Sustainability Portal. The organization also provides event mobile applications with delegate networking and badge scanning capabilities.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SportAccord Convention: The main annual convention bringing together international sports federations, rights holders, cities, and the sports industry
- IF Forum
Products and services
- SportAccord Convention A flagship global sports business convention that brings together International Federations, host cities, sports industry suppliers, and media for networking, exhibitions, and conference programming.
- SportAccord Forum (IF Forum) An invitation-only leadership forum for International Federations focused on strategic dialogue, governance, and cooperation among Olympic and non-Olympic sports bodies.
- .Sport Domain Service Administration of the .sport top-level domain for the international sports community, providing digital identity services to sports organizations.
- AIMS Membership Processing Membership administration and processing services for the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS).
- Sustainability Portal A digital platform serving the international sports community's sustainability initiatives and reporting.
Quantifiable outcome
- 250+ international events delivered by partner Sport Event Denmark using SportAccord connections
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use SportAccord
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SportAccord technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature2 records
SportAccord partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Sport Event DenmarkcoreSport Event Denmark has been confirmed as a silver partner for the SportAccord Convention in Baku. The organization, established and supported by the Danish Government, is responsible for attracting major international sporting events to Denmark. The partnership reinforces a decade-long collaboration built on shared ambition, trust, and commitment to shaping the future of international sport. Sport Event Denmark has participated in every SportAccord Convention since 2003 and has partnered with nearly all editions.
- ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations)coreASOIF is listed as a key stakeholder of SportAccord, representing the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. The organization works closely with SportAccord on shared initiatives and is featured as a key partner on the IF Forum website.
- ARISF (Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations)coreARISF is listed as a key stakeholder of SportAccord, representing International Winter Olympic Sports Federations. The organization collaborates with SportAccord on initiatives relevant to winter sports governance and events.
- AIMS (Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord)coreAIMS is an alliance of independent sport organizations that are members of SportAccord. The organization represents sport federations that are not part of the Olympic movement and participates in SportAccord events.
- World Olympic Features (WOF)minorWOF is listed as a stakeholder partner of SportAccord, providing Olympic-related content and features.
- International Olympic Committee (IOC)coreThe IOC provides support to SportAccord and is referenced as a key stakeholder. IOC President Kirsty Coventry delivered the opening keynote at IF Forum 2025, demonstrating the close relationship between SportAccord and the Olympic movement.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SportAccord competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Leaders in Sport: Runs high-level sports business summits (Leaders Week London) convening executives, rights holders and federations — directly comparable to SportAccord's Convention as a premier sports-industry gathering.
- Soccerex: Organizes global football business conventions bringing together clubs, sponsors and industry stakeholders; a direct analog of SportAccord's business-of-sport event model, focused on football.
- SPORTEL: Hosts international sports media and business conventions connecting rights holders, broadcasters and federations, mirroring SportAccord's networking-and-exhibition event format.
- World Football Summit: Global football industry conference convening federations, leagues and commercial partners — comparable event-driven, delegate-and-sponsorship business model in a sport-specific vertical.
- Host City (Cavendish Group): Conference and platform connecting cities, sports federations and event owners on hosting major sporting events, overlapping directly with SportAccord's host-city and federation audience.
Emerging players
- SportsPro: Sports business media and events company running summits (e.g., OTT/tech-focused) for rights holders and sponsors, overlapping with SportAccord's industry-convening and digital-transformation themes.
Broad incumbents
- ISPO: Large international trade show and network for the sports business and equipment industry; overlaps as a major sports-sector convening platform though centered on products and suppliers.
Others
- ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations): Umbrella association representing summer Olympic IFs and a listed SportAccord partner; comparable as a federation-serving governance body, though it does not run commercial conventions.
- GAISF / SportAccord (legacy umbrella body): The historic Global Association of International Sports Federations umbrella body from which the SportAccord brand descends; comparable as a federation membership/umbrella organization.
- SportsPro OTT / SBJ (Sports Business Journal) events: Sports business media outlet hosting industry conferences and awards for executives and rights holders; thematically adjacent convening and networking activity for the sports industry.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SportAccord social profiles
Digital presenceSportAccord compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
SportAccord financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SportAccord leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
SportAccord funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SportAccord M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SportAccord
What does SportAccord do?
SportAccord organizes premier global sports business events, including the SportAccord Convention and the SportAccord Forum (IF Forum), which bring together International Federations, host cities, and sports industry stakeholders. The organization provides event management services, delegate networking tools, and associated digital services such as .Sport domain administration, AIMS membership processing, and a sustainability portal for the international sports community.
Is SportAccord a public or private company?
SportAccord is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was SportAccord founded?
SportAccord was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is SportAccord based?
SportAccord is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does SportAccord make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Delegate Passes are the primary driver. The others are exhibition & Partnership Fees and sponsorship.
Who are SportAccord's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Leaders in Sport, Soccerex, SPORTEL, World Football Summit and Host City (Cavendish Group). SportsPro is listed as an emerging player. ISPO is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations), GAISF / SportAccord (legacy umbrella body) and SportsPro OTT / SBJ (Sports Business Journal) events.
Does SportAccord have an API?
No public API is recorded for SportAccord.
What industry is SportAccord in?
SportAccord's product category is Sports Event Management & Convention Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAK, Executive Summits & Invitation-Only Forums, with a secondary code of MPAKAFAB, International Sport Federations (IFs). Its NAICS code is 7113 and its SIC code is 8600.