GOTS e.V.

What GOTS e.V. does

GOTS e.V. (Gesellschaft für Orthopädisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin), founded in 1986 and registered in Munich (Vereinsregister VR 11752), is a German non-profit professional society for sports orthopedics and traumatology. The society is headquartered in Jena, co-located with Universitätsklinikum Jena, and operates across the DACH region — Germany, Austria, and Switzerland — via its GOTS Schweiz and GOTS Österreich chapters. It is described as the world's second-largest association of sports orthopaedists and sports traumatologists and represents the formal Sektion Sportmedizin of the DGOU. Its members include physicians (orthopedists, trauma surgeons, sports physicians), physiotherapists, sports scientists, and medical students.

The portfolio is anchored on a scientific publishing platform — the peer-reviewed journal Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SOT), the 1,088-page GOTS Manual Sportverletzungen (4th edition, 2022, Urban & Fischer/Elsevier), and Expertenmeetingshefte proceedings — plus educational programs (GOTS Ortho SportsMed Webinare, GOTS Podcast), the GOTS Shoulder Guard prevention program, the DART German-language arthroscopy registry, professional certification (GOTS-Sportarzt certificate), the GOTS Young Academy (founded 2014), and structured fellowships (Asia, Italy, Mannschaftsarzt). The annual GOTS-Kongress — 41st edition held June 11–13, 2026 in Osnabrück with IOC and WHO participation — is the flagship event, drawing ~600 participants, ~40 exhibitors, and 100+ scientific sessions.

GOTS operates with a lean staff of approximately seven employees and generates revenue from three streams: recurring membership dues (€175/year for physicians, €75/year for physiotherapists/sports scientists, €25/year for students, plus one-time €100 admission fees), congress and event registration fees, and premium-tier corporate sponsorships — Bauerfeind AG as Supreme Partner, OPED GmbH and SPORLASTIC GmbH as Premium Partners — which underwrite awards, fellowships, and the Society Evening. International affiliations (ESSKA, JSOA, KOSSM, SIAGASCOT, ReFORM) and partnerships with BIV-OT, LIROMS, IOC, and WHO extend the society's reach beyond its DACH core into European, Asian, and global sports-medicine policy communities.

Name

GOTS e.V.

Legal name

Gesellschaft für orthopädisch-traumatologische Sportmedizin (GOTS) e.V.

Website

https://gots.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GOTS e.V. is a German non-profit professional society for sports orthopedics and traumatology, founded in 1986, serving physicians, physiotherapists, sports scientists, and students across the DACH region via publications, an annual congress, certification, fellowships, and research programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Medical Society (Sports Orthopedics and Traumatology)

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Medicine (HLAKALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Orthopedics (HLAKALAA), Orthopedic Surgery (Operative Orthopedics) (HLAKALAC)

Keywords

• Sports orthopedics society
• Professional medical association
• Sports medicine education
• Orthopedic traumatology
• Continuing medical education

Headquarters

HQ city

Jena

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees charged to physicians (€175/year), physiotherapists and sports scientists (€75/year), and students (€25/year), plus one-time admission fees. Membership provides access to the journal SOT, expert meeting publications, congress discounts, and fellowship eligibility.
2. Congress and Event Registration: Revenue from registration fees for the annual GOTS congress (11.–13. Juni 2026 in OsnabrückHalle). Fees vary by participant category. The congress offers up to 15 CME points.
3. Partner and Sponsor Relationships: Premium partnerships and sponsorship from medical device companies (Bauerfeind as Supreme Partner; OPED and SPORLASTIC as Premium Partners) who sponsor congress activities, awards, fellowships, and research grants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

GOTS e.V. (Gesellschaft für Orthopädisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin) is the German-Austrian-Swiss professional medical society for sports orthopedics and traumatology. It provides tiered annual membership to physicians, physiotherapists, sports scientists, and students, granting access to the peer-reviewed journal Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SOT), the GOTS-Manual Sportverletzungen (4th edition), webinars, podcasts, and the annual GOTS-Kongress congress. It also runs fellowship exchange programs, the GOTS-Sportarzt certification, research grants, and scientific awards across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

Product overview

GOTS e.V. is a professional medical society (Deutsch-österreichisch-schweizerische Gesellschaft für Orthopädisch-Traumatologische Sportmedizin) offering a portfolio of professional resources rather than a commercial product platform. The core offerings center on publications (the Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology journal, GOTS-Manual Sportverletzungen book, Expertenmeetingshefte proceedings), educational programs (GOTS Ortho SportsMed Webinare, GOTS Podcast, GOTS Young Academy), prevention tools (GOTS Shoulder Guard program), professional certification (GOTS-Sportarzt certificate), and annual events (GOTS-Kongress). Supporting programs include research funding grants, fellowship exchange programs, scientific awards, and the DART arthroscopy registry. The society positions itself as the world's second-largest association of sports orthopaedists and sports traumatologists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GOTS Young Academy: Youth academy for young physicians and scientists in sports medicine, founded 2014 under the motto 'Next Generation'
• GOTS-Sportarzt Zertifikat
• GOTS Ortho SportsMed Webinare
• DART - Deutschsprachiges Arthroskopieregister

Products and services

• Sports Orthopaedics and Traumatology (SOT) Journal Official peer-reviewed journal of GOTS focusing on scientific and practical sport orthopaedics and traumatology, distributed via Elsevier to members and the broader sports medicine community.
• GOTS-Manual Sportverletzungen (4th Edition) Comprehensive 1088-page manual on sports injuries published by Urban & Fischer Verlag / Elsevier in its 4th edition (2022), serving as a flagship scientific reference for sports orthopaedics and traumatology.
• GOTS Ortho SportsMed Webinare Permanent online webinar series on orthopedic topics in sports medicine, featuring European speakers covering clinical practice, research, diagnostics, therapies, prevention, and pediatric sports injuries for surgeons, orthopedists, sports physicians, trainers, scientists, physiotherapists, and medical students.
• GOTS Podcast Audio podcast series providing news, expert discussions, and updates for sports orthopaedics and traumatology professionals.
• GOTS Shoulder Guard Shoulder injury prevention program developed by GOTS featuring video instructions and a structured exercise program to prevent shoulder injuries in athletes.
• GOTS-Kongress (Annual Congress) Annual scientific congress bringing together sports orthopaedics, sports traumatology, and sports medicine professionals for scientific lectures, workshops, industry exhibition (up to 40 exhibitors), society evening, and CME-accredited education (up to 15 CME points). The 41st edition attracted ~600 participants.
• GOTS Young Academy Professional development program founded in 2014 to support young doctors, scientists, and physiotherapists in sports medicine via workshops, congresses, networking events, and pathway programs to GOTS-Sportarzt certification.
• DART (Deutschsprachiges Arthroskopieregister) German-language arthroscopy registry initiative collecting data on arthroscopic procedures across member institutions for sports medicine research and quality improvement.
• GOTS Fellowship Programs Exchange programs for young doctors and scientists — including GOTS-Asia Fellowship by Bauerfeind, GOTS-SIAGASCOT-Italy Fellowship, and the GOTS Fellowship 'Mannschaftsarzt' (team physician program) — designed to expand sports medicine knowledge internationally.
• GOTS-Sportarzt Certificate Professional certification program enabling physicians to obtain the 'GOTS-Sportarzt' qualification, representing a personal quality standard in sports medicine.
• GOTS Forschungsförderung (Research Grant) Research funding program supporting innovative sports medicine research projects — described as the highest-endowed award for junior scientists in the DACH region.
• GOTS Scientific Awards Program Portfolio of scientific awards including the GOTS Young Investigator Award (by Bauerfeind), SPORLASTIC Posterpreis, SOT Paper of Highest Public Interest (by Elsevier), Bester Vortrag Award (by LIROMS), and Sportarzt des Jahres for outstanding contributions to sports orthopaedics.
• Expertenmeetingshefte (Expert Meeting Publications) Publications from expert meetings containing specialized scientific content from GOTS-organized professional gatherings.

Quantifiable outcome

• World's second-largest sports orthopedics society
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SPORLASTIC GmbHcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2024SPORLASTIC is a Premium Partner of GOTS. They sponsor the SPORLASTIC Posterpreis at the annual congress and the 'Bewegte Pause' (Active Break) and Charity Run events. The partnership supports mobility and a life full of movement.
• OPED GmbHcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024OPED is a Premium Partner of GOTS, intensifying a long-standing collaboration since January 2024. OPED sponsors the GOTS Digital Health Solution Congress and the GOTS Digital Orthopedics Award (by OPED). The partnership aims to accelerate the transfer of innovation into sports medicine.
• Bauerfeind AGcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBauerfeind is the GOTS Supreme Partner, sponsoring the annual congress, the Asia Fellowship program (GOTS-Asia Fellowship by Bauerfeind), the Young Investigator Award, and the Society Evening (Festabend). The partnership has evolved over years with Bauerfeind being one of the first partners and sponsors of GOTS. A Supreme Partnership was formalized in 2024.
• pluszwei GmbHminorOtherspluszwei GmbH serves as the creative and business partner for GOTS, responsible for website design and digital implementation. Listed as 'Kreativ- und Businesspartner der GOTS'.
• DGOU (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOTS represents the Sports Medicine Section of DGOU (Sektion Sportmedizin der DGOU). This structural relationship positions GOTS within the larger German orthopedic and trauma surgery community.
• ESSKA (European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGOTS is an 'affiliated society' of ESSKA, enabling cross-border scientific exchange and collaboration between the German-speaking sports orthopedics community and the broader European society.
• LIROMS (Luxembourg Institute of Research in Orthopedics, Sports Medicine and Science)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerLIROMS sponsors the 'Preis Bester Vortrag' (Best Lecture Award) at the GOTS congress, endowed with €2,000 total.
• BIV-OT (Bundesinnungsverband für Orthopädie-Technik)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBIV-OT and GOTS entered a permanent partnership at OTWorld 2024 in Leipzig (May 16, 2024) to strengthen the role of technical orthopedics in research and education. The partnership was formalized to advance interdisciplinary collaboration between orthopedic technology and sports orthopedics.
• IOC (International Olympic Committee)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IOC participated in the 41st GOTS congress in Osnabrück (June 2026) with highlight sessions alongside WHO, indicating a high-level scientific collaboration on sports medicine and athlete health.
• WHO (World Health Organization)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWHO participated in the 41st GOTS congress in Osnabrück (June 2026) with highlight sessions alongside IOC, reflecting collaboration on global public health aspects of sports medicine and physical activity.
• JSOA (Japanese Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational affiliated society of GOTS, enabling collaboration through the GOTS-Asia Fellowship program (Japan and Korea).
• KOSSM (Korean Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational affiliated society of GOTS, cooperating through the GOTS-Asia Fellowship program (Japan and Korea).
• SIAGASCOT (Italian Society of Arthroscopy, Knee, Upper Limb, Sports, Cartilage and Orthopaedic Technologies)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational affiliated society collaborating with GOTS through the GOTS-SIAGASCOT-Italien-Fellowship exchange program.
• ReFORM (Réseau Francophone Olympique de Recherche en Médecine du Sport)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational affiliated society of GOTS for French-speaking Olympic sports medicine research collaboration.
• DJO GLOBALminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDJO GLOBAL previously sponsored the GOTS Award for Video Instructions, last awarded in 2019.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AOSSM (American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine): AOSSM is the world's largest sports orthopedics society and is described in GOTS's own materials as the only larger counterpart. It runs a similar stack: annual meeting, peer-reviewed journal (AJSM), fellowships, and research grants, making it the most directly comparable peer in scope, member value proposition, and revenue model.
• AGA (Gesellschaft für Arthroskopie und Gelenkchirurgie): AGA is the German-language (DACH-region) society for arthroscopy and joint surgery, overlapping directly with GOTS's arthroscopy and sports orthopaedics remit. It hosts its own annual congress, partners with device companies, and serves similar orthopedic specialists, making it the closest direct competitor within GOTS's home market.
• SIAGASCOT (Società Italiana Artroscopia, Ginocchio, Arto Superiore, Sport, Cartilagine e Tecnologie Ortopediche): SIAGASCOT is GOTS's Italian counterpart society for arthroscopy and sports orthopaedics and a partner in the GOTS-SIAGASCOT-Italy Fellowship program. It has a near-identical member-serving model (physicians, physiotherapists, congress, journal, fellowships), making it a structurally equivalent national peer.
• ISAKOS (International Society of Arthroscopy, Knee Surgery and Orthopaedic Sports Medicine): ISAKOS operates as the international counterpart to GOTS in arthroscopy and sports orthopaedics, with biennial congresses, a global fellowship program, and the Arthroscopy journal. It overlaps with GOTS's DART registry focus and CME-led congress model, making it a direct comparable despite its broader geographic scope.
• ESSKA (European Society for Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy): ESSKA is the European umbrella sports orthopedics society of which GOTS is an affiliated society. It mirrors GOTS in publishing the KSSTA journal, hosting a major European congress, running fellowship programs, and partnering with medical-device sponsors, making it the closest peer at the pan-European level.
• ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine): ACSM is a large, established sports medicine professional society with a similar operating model: membership tiers, flagship journals (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise), annual meeting (annual conference), clinical exercise certification, and partner sponsorships. It is a direct functional peer in the physician-and-scientist sports medicine membership space.

Regional players

• KOSSM (Korean Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine): KOSSM is the Korean counterpart to GOTS and a partner under the GOTS-Asia Fellowship. It operates the same member-, congress-, and journal-based model in a different geography and is therefore a regional functional equivalent rather than a direct competitor in DACH.
• JSOA (Japanese Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine): JSOA is the Japanese national sports orthopaedic society and a GOTS partner under the GOTS-Asia Fellowship program with Bauerfeind. It runs an analogous annual congress and journal model but in a different geography, making it a regional peer that mirrors GOTS rather than competing for the same members.

Broad incumbents

• FIMS (International Federation of Sports Medicine): FIMS is the international umbrella federation for sports medicine, spanning multiple disciplines beyond orthopaedics. It is comparable to GOTS as a multi-national professional membership body in sports medicine with a world congress, but its scope is broader and less orthopedic-specialized.
• DGOU (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Orthopädie und Unfallchirurgie): DGOU is the umbrella German society for orthopedics and trauma surgery, of which GOTS constitutes the Sports Medicine Section. DGOU operates a much broader portfolio (general orthopedics, trauma, pediatric, etc.) and is the institutional 'parent' for GOTS, making it a broad incumbent rather than a direct specialist competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@gots7766/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/GOTS.Sportmedizin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gots-e-v
• Instagraminstagram.com/gots_dach

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about GOTS e.V.