Ethnosport

What Ethnosport does

Ethnosport is a privately held, UNESCO-accredited non-governmental organization (legal name: World Ethnosport Society, registered in Riga, Latvia since June 2018) that preserves and promotes traditional sports and games worldwide. The organization runs three core programs: the annual World Ethnosport Award (recognizing best practices across organizer, company, tour operator, scientist, and athlete categories), the Ethnosport Challenge World Series (international tournaments held in countries including Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, Lithuania, and Uzbekistan), and the Ethnosport-Strongman discipline (created in partnership with the World Strongman Federation in 2019). Its expert society selects winners and an international Council governs direction, with representation from India, Kuwait, Congo, Spain, Brazil, Iran, Lithuania, Malaysia, Niger, Poland, Portugal, USA, and Ukraine.

The organization does not operate a technology product or SaaS platform; its infrastructure is a WordPress-based multilingual website plus event logistics. Technically, 'Ethnosport' is a curatorial and cultural methodology rather than a technology stack, with the founder Dr. Alexey Kylasov (Doctor of Cultural Studies) codifying the underlying theory in 2015. UNESCO consultative NGO accreditation, secured in 2019-2020, is the most consequential institutional asset, conferring advisory standing under the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention.

Ethnosport is a non-profit and does not disclose revenue. Its economic model is a hybrid of government co-hosted events (Government of Yugra, Government of Bashkortostan, Uzbekistan tourism committee), grant-funded UNESCO partnerships, and proceeds from a World Ethnosport Award sponsorship program. Customer segments are split between government tourism/sports ministries, sports federations (including World Strongman Federation, A.S.D. Harpastum in Italy), and a long tail of traditional-sports organizers, athletes, scientists, and tour operators who participate in the award and tournament series.

Name

Ethnosport

Legal name

World Ethnosport Society

Website

https://www.ethnosport.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Ethnosport (World Ethnosport Society) is a UNESCO-accredited non-profit NGO that organizes international tournaments, awards, and partnerships to preserve traditional sports and games worldwide, serving governments, sports federations, and athletes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Traditional Sports and Cultural Heritage

NAICS

Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Multi-Sport Games & Festival Organizers (MPAKADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD), Community Sports & Recreation Festivals (Fun Runs, Local Games Days) (MPAGAEAN)

Keywords

• Traditional sports preservation
• Cultural heritage programs
• Folk sports events
• Ethnosport tournaments
• Heritage conservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Riga

HQ country

Latvia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Award and Event Programs: Ethnosport operates through participation in World Ethnosport Award programs where organizers, companies, tour operators, scientists, and athletes can participate. The organization generates engagement through tournaments and recognition activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ethnosport preserves and promotes traditional sports and games through the annual World Ethnosport Award recognition program and the Ethnosport Challenge, an international World Series of tournaments held in cooperation with local communities and sports federations across countries including Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, Lithuania, and Georgia. It also publishes a Journal of research on ethnosport theory and traditional game preservation, operating as a UNESCO-accredited non-governmental organization.

Product overview

Ethnosport is a modern folklore form of sport events that maintains the authenticity of traditional sports and games while making them relevant for contemporary participants and spectators. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected products: the World Ethnosport Award (annual recognition program), Ethnosport Challenge (World Series international tournament program), Expert Society (selection body for best practices), Journal (research publications), and Ethnosport-Strongman (competition discipline). The Ethnosport Challenge World Series tournaments feature competitions in ethnosport-strongman disciplines and traditional games across multiple countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• World Ethnosport Award Annual recognition program that identifies and promotes best practices in traditional sports and games. Features categories for organizers, companies, tour operators, scientists, and athletes who contribute to ethnosport preservation and development.
• Ethnosport Challenge World Series World Series tournament program of international competitions in ethnosport disciplines, including ethnosport-strongman and traditional games, held under country-vs-world and region-vs-region formats across countries such as Russia, Malaysia, Brazil, Lithuania, and Georgia.
• Ethnosport Journal Research publications and materials related to ethnosport theory, traditional games preservation, and cultural heritage documentation, intended for researchers, scientists, and the wider public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 320 athletes from 14 countries participated in Yugra Oblases ethnofestival
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• UNESCOcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019World Ethnosport was accredited as a consultative non-governmental organization by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. The organization participates in implementing the objectives of the International Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage and serves as consultant to the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee.
• UNESCO ICM (International Centre of Martial Arts for Youth Development and Engagement)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2019Cooperation agreements concluded with UNESCO ICM at the Likhatchev Russian Research Institute for Cultural and Natural Heritage for collaboration on traditional martial arts and youth development.
• World Strongman FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2019Partnership for ethnosport-strongman discipline competitions. First International Strongman Games held in Khiva with support of State Committee of Republic of Uzbekistan for tourism development. Joint competitions include traditional strongman exercises like carrying anchor, raising stone, holding columns and swords.
• UNESCO International Institute for the Study of Nomadic CivilizationsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Memorandum of Understanding signed between World Ethnosport and UNESCO International Institute for the Study of Nomadic Civilizations for saving and sustainable development of traditional sports and games of nomadic peoples.
• General Association of Asia-Pacific Sports Federations (GAAPSF)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2018World Ethnosport became a member of GAAPSF. Certificate of membership awarded at GAAPSF headquarters in Beijing with President Dr. Alexey Kylasov and Vice President Vladislav Redkin representing World Ethnosport.
• TAFISA (Association For International Sport for All)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 2018TAFISA and World Ethnosport signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in promoting traditional sports and games globally. TAFISA has status as a member of the Permanent Consultative Council of CIGEPS.
• UNESCO Advisory Board on Traditional Sports and GamescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2017Alexey Kylasov became coordinator of UNESCO working group on traditional games, participating in meetings with diplomats from Austria, India, Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, and Turkey.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TAFISA (The Association for International Sport for All): TAFISA is a UNESCO-affiliated international NGO promoting sport for all, including traditional sports and games. Ethnosport signed an MOU with TAFISA in 2018, making it the closest comparable peer in mission, structure, and partner ecosystem.
• UNESCO International Centre of Martial Arts (ICM): UNESCO Category 2 Centre focused on traditional martial arts and youth development. Ethnosport has a formal cooperation agreement with UNESCO ICM, and both operate as UNESCO-accredited bodies promoting intangible cultural heritage through physical disciplines.
• World Strongman Federation: Governs international strongman competitions and partnered with Ethnosport for the ethnosport-strongman discipline at the first International Strongman Games in Khiva. Vladislavs Redjkins chairs both organizations, making them closely intertwined in the traditional strength-sports niche.
• International Traditional Games Society (ITGS): Academic and community organization dedicated to preserving and researching traditional games globally. Closest comparable mission to Ethnosport in the traditional games preservation space, with overlapping stakeholder base of researchers, athletes, and cultural-heritage practitioners.

Broad incumbents

• SportAccord (GAISF): Global umbrella for international sports federations and event organizers. Ethnosport is a member of the General Association of Asia-Pacific Sports Federations (GAAPSF), which situates it within the broader GAISF ecosystem as a smaller, traditional-sports-focused body.
• Special Olympics International: Large international non-profit operating global sports competitions with a social-mission framing. Compares to Ethnosport in operating model (non-profit, multi-country event series, award/recognition programs) but at vastly larger scale and a different beneficiary population.

Emerging players

• International Council of Sport Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE): UNESCO-affiliated advisory body supporting sport science and physical education, including research on traditional games. Provides the academic and policy-research counterpart to Ethnosport's event-driven model, with potential overlap in the researcher segment.
• International Quidditch Association: Governs an emerging international sport with global tournament series and national federation structure. Comparable in operating model (international NGO, world series tournaments, governing federation role) but in a different sport category.
• World Dodgeball Association: Governs international dodgeball competitions with national federation and world championship structure. Comparable to Ethnosport in operating format (international federation, multi-country tournament series, recognition programs) though in a completely different sport category.

Others

• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage section: The official UNESCO framework for safeguarding intangible cultural heritage, under which Ethnosport is accredited. Functions as the regulatory and convening body that Ethnosport's mission aligns with and partially serves as consultant.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ethnosport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world-ethnosport

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Ethnosport