International Yoga Sports Federation

What International Yoga Sports Federation does

The International Yoga Sports Federation (IYSF) is a non-profit association constituted under Swiss law on April 29, 2013, with its legal seat in Lausanne, Switzerland, that serves as the global governing body for yoga asana sport competitions. It operates through a federated model of 20+ national member federations across five continents, organizing biennial World Championships (most recently the 16th edition in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, in April 2025), continental cups, and national championships across youth (9-17), adult, and senior divisions in both genders. Its core technology stack consists of standardized rule-based tools: a Tabulation Grid (Google Sheets-based) for real-time scoring across six posture groups (Back Bend, Forward Compression, Traction, Torsion, Lifts, Inversions), a Posture Selection Assistant spreadsheet, a Time Judge Stopwatch, and the SportsID registration platform, supplemented by the LearnWorlds-hosted IYSF Academy for athlete, coach, and judge training. No AI/ML capability is present; scoring and judging are entirely human-driven through a tiered A/B/C certification system.

IYSF's business model is a hybrid of micro-ticket individual fees, certification fees, and event-driven sponsorship/donation revenue. Athletes pay US$10/year for membership via SportsID, US$20 for the mandatory Rules Clinic, US$10+ donation per Academy session, and entry fees for sanctioned competitions. International A-level coach certification is US$50 for a two-year membership bundled with the training program. Sponsorship of World Championships, designation-rights licensing (World/Continental/International/IYSF), and Stripe-based public donations round out the revenue base. The federation operates with no disclosed paid headcount or traditional investor funding, financed entirely through these operating receipts and donations, while a management committee and Plenary Assembly provide governance. Its stated strategic objective is achieving IOC/GAISF recognition by unifying 40+ active national federations across five continents, which would require expanding from the current 25+ footprint and is anchored in the 2020 recognition of yogasana as a sport by the Indian sports ministry and AYUSH.

Name

International Yoga Sports Federation

Legal name

International Yoga Sports Federation

Website

https://iysf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The International Yoga Sports Federation (IYSF) is a Swiss non-profit that serves as the global governing body for competitive yoga asana sport, organizing biennial World Championships and operating a federated network of 20+ national federations across five continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Federation Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Business Associations (813910)

akta.pro primary industry

International Sport Federations (IFs) (MPAKAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC), Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Yoga sport competitions
• International sports federation
• Yoga asana championships
• Coach certification programs
• Judges certification programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: National federations and associate members pay membership and admission fees as fixed by the Plenary Assembly. Individual athletes pay US$10 per year for membership which grants access to IYSF tools, the global athlete directory, the tabulation grid, and online results.
2. Athlete Registration Fees: Athletes pay a US$10 fee per year for individual registration. This fee is valid for one year and provides access to IYSF tools, the global athlete directory, the tabulation grid, and online results.
3. Rules Clinic Fees: Adult and Masters athletes who compete at National and Regional events must complete a Rules Clinic for a fee of US$20. International event athletes who have not completed the online Rules clinic must attend a live Rules Clinic before the event.
4. Coach Certification Fees: International Coach (A-Level) certification costs US$50 for a 2-year membership, which is included in the training price. The training is provided online through IYSF's coaching program.
5. Academy Donations and Training Fees: IYSF Academy offers athlete training sessions on a donation basis (minimum of $10 USD per session). These online sessions cover sports medicine, nutrition, and yoga sport techniques, with sessions led by experienced athletes and experts.
6. Competition Entry and Authorization Fees: IYSF generates revenue through fees for organizing and authorizing international competitions, competitor entry fees, and awards licensing. The federation controls all rights to IYSF competitions and authorizes use of 'World', 'Continental', 'International', or 'IYSF' designations.
7. Donations and Sponsorships: IYSF accepts donations via Stripe (public donation page at donate.stripe.com). The federation also secures sponsors for its World Championships, as seen with the 2025 World Championship sponsors. The organization is a non-profit and actively seeks income for the proper functioning of the sport.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The International Yoga Sports Federation (IYSF) governs yoga asana sport globally, organizing the biennial World Championship of Yoga Sport with divisions for youth, adult, and senior athletes. The federation provides tiered coach and judge certification programs (A/B/C levels), standardized competition rules and a real-time Tabulation Grid scoring system, the IYSF Academy for online athlete training, and a federated network of 20+ national member federations across 25+ countries. IYSF is non-profit, registered under Swiss law, and pursues GAISF/Olympic recognition for yoga asana sport.

Product overview

International Yoga Sports Federation (IYSF) operates as the global governing body for yoga asana sport, offering a comprehensive ecosystem centered on world championship competitions and professional development programs. The core offering is the annual World Championship of Yoga Sport, complemented by the IYSF Academy which provides three educational pillars: Athlete Training Sessions, Coaches Training Sessions, and Judges Training Sessions. Supporting products include the Coaching Certification Program (A/B/C level tiers), Judging Certification Program (A/B/C level tiers), Posture Selection Assistant tool, Tabulation Grid for real-time scoring, Time Judge Stopwatch, Yoga Sport Training Camps, and Training Manual. This integrated system enables standardized global competition and professional development for the yoga sports discipline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Championship of Yoga Sport Biennial international yoga sports competition featuring youth, adult, and senior divisions across both genders with standardized scoring based on difficulty, execution, and athletic aspects of strength, flexibility, and balance.
• IYSF Academy Online educational platform offering three programs: Athlete Training Sessions (sports medicine, nutrition, posture technique), Coaches Training Sessions (A-Level and B-Level certification), and Judges Training Sessions (A-Level and B-Level certification for fair competition judging).
• Coaching Certification Program Tiered certification system for yoga sports coaches with three levels: International A-Level (certified by IYSF), National B-Level, and Local/Regional C-Level, compliant with IYSF rules. Includes coaching manual and online training program; A-level cost is US$50 for 2-year membership.
• Judges Certification Program Tiered certification system for competition judges with three levels: International A-Level (certified by IYSF), National B-Level, and Local/Regional C-Level. Includes online judging program and training for national federations.
• Posture Selection Assistant Public Google Sheets-based digital tool that allows athletes to test the difficulty percentage of their competition series using the 2019-2020 IYSF competition rules, helping athletes plan optimal routines.
• Tabulation Grid Standardized Google Sheets-based scoring and tabulation system for IYSF yoga sport competitions that calculates difficulty percentages and execution scores for each posture, displaying scores immediately during competitions.
• Time Judge Stopwatch Optional timing tool to help Time Judges precisely measure stillness time in each posture, calculate corresponding scores, and paste directly into the tabulation grid.
• Yoga Sport Training Camps Weekend and week-long intensive training camps covering yoga sport classes, body opening exercises, posture development drills for spine, hips, lifts, and inversions, and competition routine creation.
• Training Manual Coaching manual providing detailed instructions for teachers to coach athletes on IYSF-approved competition asanas. Available as PDF download.

Quantifiable outcome

• Yoga was officially recognized as a competitive sport by the Indian sports ministry and AYUSH in 2020, and included in the Khelo India Youth Games
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Member Federations (20+ organizations)coreOthersIYSF operates through a federated network of 20+ national member federations across five continents. These national bodies (e.g., USA Yoga Federation, Indian Hatha Yog Federation, Federazione Italiana Yoga Sport, Great Britain Yoga Sports Federation) serve as the primary organizational units, organizing national championships, certifying coaches and judges at national levels, registering athletes, and qualifying competitors for continental and world events. Each country is represented by one national federation as a full member of IYSF.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC): IFSC is an Olympic-recognized international federation for a niche sport, directly comparable to IYSF in its trajectory from niche federation to international recognition and its federated governance model.
• World Taekwondo: World Taekwondo is an IOC-recognized international federation with a similar federated structure (national member federations, world championships, certified officials) and provides a template for IYSF's Olympic-recognition path.
• International Judo Federation: IJF is an established Olympic-recognized international federation with a comparable governance and certification model, providing a benchmark for what an international sport federation operating at Olympic scale looks like.
• International Gymnastics Federation (FIG): FIG is the IOC-recognized international federation governing gymnastics, with a comparable structure of national federations, world championships, technical committees, and judge certification systems that closely mirror IYSF's operating model.

Regional players

• Yoga Sports Federation India: Yoga Sports Federation India operates as a parallel/competing national federation in India for competitive yoga, comparable to IYSF's member federations but representing a potential fragmentation risk in IYSF's largest market.
• British Wheel of Yoga: British Wheel of Yoga is a UK national yoga organization analogous to IYSF's member federations, comparable as a regional governing/credentialing body in the yoga space.

Direct peers

• Yoga Alliance: Yoga Alliance is the largest international yoga credentialing and registry organization, comparable to IYSF as a global standards body for yoga, though focused on teaching credentials rather than competitive sport governance.
• USA Yoga Federation: USA Yoga Federation is a national member federation of IYSF, directly comparable in mission (governing yoga asana sport) and operations (national championships, certified judges/coaches) but at a country-specific level.

Others

• SportAccord (GAISF): GAISF/SportAccord is the umbrella organization for international sport federations, of which IYSF is working to become a recognized member; comparable as the regulatory/governance entity IYSF depends on for Olympic-track status.

Emerging players

• International Cheer Union (ICU): ICU is an international federation pursuing IOC recognition for cheerleading, comparable to IYSF as a similarly-positioned emerging international federation navigating the GAISF recognition pathway.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/results?search_query=IYSF+yoga+sport
• Instagraminstagram.com/yoga_ksa
• Xx.com/yoga_sports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 International Yoga Sports Federation