Republic of Sports

What Republic of Sports does

Republic of Sports (République des Sports) is a non-profit sports association, legally constituted as 'whatSport', founded in 2019 and headquartered in Romanel-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland. Its mission is to integrate young migrants — often minors and frequently unaccompanied — into the regional sports fabric of the Vaud canton by exposing them to sport discovery, regular practice, major events, volunteer opportunities, and sports professions.

The organization's product surface is entirely service-based and delivered in person: sport initiation sessions led by trained monitors, week-long multi-sport camps for ages 14–18, a club integration facilitation service that matches beneficiaries to local clubs (including equipment and fee support), a volunteer placement program at sports events, and sports internship placements (including APA sports-science students). There is no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or AI component; the operating stack is a WordPress/Divi website plus standard email channels for departmental intake (info, presidency, secretariat, camps, communication, initiations, integration club, professional insertion, volunteering).

The revenue model is a typical non-profit mix: tax-deductible donations (from 100 CHF) routed through a BCV bank account, corporate and institutional sponsorships from Ville de Lausanne, Canton de Vaud, Lausanne 2020, Pantathon, and Olypimc, plus modest merchandise sales (masks at 20 CHF, T-shirts at 40 CHF). The go-to-market is community- and event-driven, relying on organic social (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), newsletter, and earned Swiss media coverage (Watson.ch, Val News) rather than paid acquisition. The organization does not charge beneficiaries, so end-users are not 'customers' in the commercial sense; donors, sponsors, and partner clubs are the economic counter-parties.

Name

Republic of Sports

Legal name

whatSport

Website

https://republiquedessports.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Republic of Sports is a Swiss non-profit association that integrates young migrants, often minors, into regional sports through initiations, multi-sport camps, club placement, and volunteer and internship programs in the Vaud canton.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Sports Integration Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Recreational & Intramural Sports Programs (MPAKACAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF), Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE), Club Sports Programs (EDALAIAB)

Keywords

• Sports integration programs
• Youth sports camps
• Community sports clubs
• Nonprofit sports association
• Migrant inclusion services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Sponsorships: Tax-deductible donations starting from 100 CHF, with ongoing support from corporate sponsors and institutional partners including Lausanne 2020, Ville de Lausanne, Canton, and other organizations.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including masks (20 CHF) and T-shirts (40 CHF) to supporters, with orders placed via email.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Republic of Sports (République des Sports) is a nonprofit sports integration program that helps young migrants, often minors, in the Vaud region of Switzerland discover and join local sports life. It offers sport initiation sessions, multi-sport camps, club integration facilitation (with equipment and fee support), volunteer placements at sports events, and sports-environment internship placements. Activities are organized and subsidized through donations, government and corporate sponsorships, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

République des Sports is a sports integration program run by whatSport association (founded in 2019), offering a portfolio of services centered on integrating young migrants into sports. The core offerings include Sport Initiation Sessions (discovering sports in a non-competitive, fun manner with trained monitors), Club Integration Services (facilitating entry into sports clubs with equipment and fee support), Multi-Sport Camps (week-long camps for ages 14-18), a Volunteer Program (occasional volunteer positions at sports events), and Sports Internship Placement services. All activities are guided by the 'esprit de Lausanne 2020' values from the Youth Olympic Games.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sport Initiation Sessions Non-competitive discovery sessions led by trained monitors, allowing young migrants to gain concrete experience with a sport over a few hours at partner clubs in the Vaud region.
• Club Integration Service Facilitation service helping young migrants identify their discipline, clarify motivations, and overcome initial obstacles to joining a sports club, including provision of equipment (tools and clothing) and assistance with annual club fees or subscriptions.
• Multi-Sport Camps Week-long sports camps for youth aged 14–18 offering practice of various sports and related physical activities, held in Swiss locations such as Fiesch and La Vallée de Joux.
• Volunteer Program Occasional volunteer positions supporting various sports events, allowing supporters to assist at sporting manifestations on a regular basis, with registration via email and calendar.
• Sports Internship Placement Assistance for young people to find internships in sports environments to enrich their experience and CV, including placements for sports science students (APA) interested in youth migrant integration.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, minor and supporting.

• Lausanne 2020coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Founding inspiration for the association. The 'esprit de Lausanne 2020' (spirit of Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games) directly shaped the organization's mission and values. Lausanne 2020 refers to the Youth Olympic Games held in January 2020 in Lausanne, bringing together international youth around universal sports values.
• Ville de LausannemajorOthersCity government of Lausanne providing sponsorship and institutional support to enable the association's mission of sports integration for young migrants in the Lausanne region.
• Canton de VaudmajorOthersCanton-level government providing sponsorship and institutional support to the organization.
• PantathonminorOthersCorporate sponsor whose generosity helps the association realize its mission.
• OlypimcminorOthersCorporate sponsor supporting the association's sports integration programs.
• BCV (Banque Cantonale Vaudoise)supportingOthersOfficial banking partner for donations. Donations can be made to BCV, Place St. François, 1002 Lausanne, Account CH 9400767000T54724627. Tax-deductible donations from 100 CHF.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Right To Play: Global organization using sport and play to protect and empower children, including refugee and migrant populations. Comparable in using sport for child/youth inclusion, though at significantly larger scale and geographic scope.
• Caritas Suisse: Swiss confederation of cantonal Caritas organizations supporting people in need including migrants and refugees. Comparable in targeting migrant integration in Switzerland, though Republic of Sports is sport-specific and much smaller.
• Croix-Rouge suisse (Swiss Red Cross): Major Swiss humanitarian organization with established migrant integration and youth programs. Comparable in serving the same migrant beneficiary cohort in Switzerland and accessing similar public funding streams.
• YMCA Switzerland: Swiss federation of local YMCA associations offering youth, sport, and community programs. Comparable in sport- and community-based youth programming model and Swiss non-profit structure.

Direct peers

• Sport dans la Ville: French non-profit that uses sport as a vehicle for social and professional integration of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Directly comparable mission, beneficiary cohort (at-risk youth), and program mix (sports discovery, club integration, camps, internships) to République des Sports.
• Terre en Mêlée: French non-profit using rugby and sport to promote the integration of young migrants and refugees. Comparable beneficiary cohort (young migrants/refugees), sport-based integration model, and small-team non-profit delivery model.
• Play International: France-headquartered NGO (formerly Sport Sans Frontières) using sport and play for education and inclusion of vulnerable children. Closely comparable in mission (sport as integration tool for marginalized youth) and program structure.

Others

• AsyLex: Swiss non-profit providing legal aid to asylum seekers. Comparable as a small Swiss non-profit serving the migrant/minor population, with similar non-profit funding model and reliance on volunteers and donations.
• Office fédéral du sport (OFSPO / Swiss Federal Office of Sport): Swiss federal sports authority that funds youth and integration sport programs through its Jugend+Sport and other frameworks. Comparable as a funder/ecosystem player in Swiss youth sport integration rather than a direct service competitor.

Regional players

• Association Suisse de Football (ASF / Swiss Football Association): Swiss national football federation running grassroots and integration initiatives through its club network. Comparable as a Swiss sports body with formal club integration pathways, though much larger and football-specific.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RepubliqueDesSports
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/republique-des-sports
• Instagraminstagram.com/republiquedessports

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Republic of Sports