SportAccord

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.

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

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

• International sports federations
• Sports convention events
• Multi-sport business events
• Sports governance forums
• Sports industry networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Delegate Passes: Revenue generated from delegate registrations for SportAccord Convention and IF Forum events
2. Exhibition & Partnership Fees: Silver and gold partnership tiers for organizations to exhibit and engage with international sports community
3. Sponsorship: Event sponsorship opportunities including branding, speaking slots, and networking access

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability8 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sport Event DenmarkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 February 2026Sport 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASOIF 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerARISF 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)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIMS 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)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWOF is listed as a stakeholder partner of SportAccord, providing Olympic-related content and features.
• International Olympic Committee (IOC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/media
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Sportaccord
• Facebookfacebook.com/sportaccord
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sport-accord
• Instagraminstagram.com/sportaccord

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SportAccord