What International World Games Association does

The International World Games Association (IWGA) is a non-profit international sports governance organization founded in 1980 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It administers The World Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event for non-Olympic sports, alongside The World Games Series (TWG Series) as a recurring supporting event series. The IWGA is governed by 40 International Member Sports Federations and operates under the recognition and support of the International Olympic Committee.

The organization's product surface centers on event delivery — producing The World Games (most recently Chengdu 2025, next Karlsruhe 2029) featuring approximately 4,000 athletes from 100+ countries across around 30 non-Olympic sports disciplines including sport climbing, karate, lacrosse, wushu, fistball, and flying disc. Underlying technology comprises the IWGA Games Management System (IGMS) for operations, an Event Management System (EMS) for registration and accreditation, a Results Information System published on the official website, and SwissTiming-provided timing, scoring, and on-venue results infrastructure. The organization also runs an Athlete Awards programme (Athlete of the Year, Month, and Day) and engages in athlete content production through its 'Heroes of the Games' series.

The business model is event-driven and non-commercial with respect to athletes. Revenue is generated through event hosting (ticketing, broadcasting rights, event operations — though primary event finances flow through Local Organizing Committees), sponsorships and partnerships (Xtep as Global Partner; ISB, SwissTiming, Sword Venue, FICS as additional partners), membership contributions from 40 International Member Sports Federations, and IOC institutional support. The IWGA does not sell commercial products; participation in The World Games is free for athletes who qualify through their national federations. Governance is provided by an Executive Committee with member-federation representatives, and the organization has had four presidents across its history, with Anna Arzhanova elected as the fourth in April 2026.

Name

International World Games Association

Legal name

International World Games Association

Website

https://theworldgames.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International World Games Association (IWGA) is a Lausanne-based non-profit that administers The World Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event for non-Olympic sports, serving 40 member federations and approximately 4,000 athletes from 100+ countries per edition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Multi-Sport Event Management

NAICS

Spectator Sports (7112), Spectator Sports (71121), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

International Multi-Sport Games Organizing Committees (e.g., Olympics, Commonwealth) (MPAKADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Sport Federations (IFs) (MPAKAFAB), Sports Compliance, Governance & Integrity Services (Safeguarding, Anti-Doping, Match Integrity) (MPAKAKAM), Olympic & Multi-Sport Movement Organizations (NOCs, Olympic Committees) (MPAKACAI)

Keywords

• Multi-sport event management
• International sports governance
• Non-olympic sports events
• Athlete competition organization
• Sports federation coordination

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from The World Games events including ticket sales, broadcasting rights, and event operations.
2. Sponsorship and Partnership: Global partner Xtep and other partners provide sponsorship revenue. Partners include ISB, SwissTiming, Sword Venue, and FICS.
3. IOC Recognition and Support: The IWGA is recognized and supported by the International Olympic Committee, which provides institutional support and collaboration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The International World Games Association (IWGA) administers The World Games, a quadrennial international multi-sport event featuring approximately 30 non-Olympic sports and around 4,000 athletes from more than 100 countries. The organization also runs The World Games Series (TWG Series) as a supporting event series, and operates digital services including an internal Games Management System (IGMS), Event Management System (EMS), and a public Results Information System.

Product overview

The International World Games Association (IWGA) administers The World Games, a major multi-sport event held every four years featuring approximately 4,000 athletes from over 100 countries competing in around 30 sports including archery, climbing, karate, lacrosse, and wushu. The IWGA also operates The World Games Series (TWG Series), a supporting event series. The organization provides digital services including the IWGA Games Management System (IGMS) for games operations, an Event Management System (EMS) for registration and accreditation, and a Results Information System for publishing competition results and medal history. Additionally, the IWGA runs an Athlete Awards programme recognizing outstanding competitors through Athlete of the Year, Athlete of the Month, and Athlete of the Day honours. The organization comprises 40 International Member Sports Federations and is recognized and supported by the International Olympic Committee.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The World Games (TWG) The flagship multi-sport event administered by the IWGA, featuring approximately 30 non-Olympic sports and around 4,000 athletes from over 100 countries. The 12th edition was held in Chengdu, China (7–17 August 2025), and the 13th edition is scheduled for Karlsruhe, Germany (19–29 July 2029). Athletes participate free of charge through their respective International Member Sports Federations.
• The World Games Series (TWG Series) International multi-sport event series serving as a qualifying and promotional milestone in the lead-up to the main World Games edition. Editions have been held in Hong Kong (2024) and Chengdu (2025), extending athlete participation opportunities between the main quadrennial Games.
• Results Information System

Quantifiable outcome

• The World Games 2025 featured 4,000 athletes from more than 110 countries competing in the 12th edition.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• ISBcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIWGA partner providing services to The World Games.
• SwissTimingcoreTechnology or IntegrationSwissTiming provides timing, scoring, on venue results, and accreditation services for IWGA competitions as a technology partner.
• Sword VenueminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIWGA partner for venue-related services.
• FICS (Fédération Internationale de Ciminal Sport)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIWGA partner organization in the sports ecosystem.
• International Olympic CommitteeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe IWGA is recognized and supported by the IOC. IOC Sports Director Pierre Ducrey addressed the 2026 AGM, presenting the 'Fit for the Future' programme and underlining IWGA's importance within the Olympic Movement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pan American Sports Organization (Panam Sports): Panam Sports organizes the Pan American Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes from the Americas. Comparable to IWGA in multi-sport event organization, federation governance, and IOC recognition structure.
• Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF / SportAccord): GAISF is an umbrella association of international sports federations, many of which are IWGA member federations. It shares IWGA's federation-network governance model and operates in the same Lausanne sports governance ecosystem.
• Commonwealth Games Federation: The Commonwealth Games Federation organizes the Commonwealth Games, another quadrennial multi-sport event. It shares IWGA's event-organization, federation-governance, and host city bidding model, though its scope is limited to Commonwealth nations.
• FISU (International University Sports Federation): FISU organizes the World University Games (Universiade), a quadrennial multi-sport event for university athletes. It is directly comparable to IWGA in operating model, target audience (elite non-mainstream sport athletes), governance by international federations, and Lausanne-based governance footprint.
• Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF): ARISF is an umbrella body for IOC-recognized international federations, many of which are also IWGA members. It shares overlapping membership with IWGA's 40 federations and operates in the same IOC-recognized international sports federation ecosystem.
• Olympic Council of Asia (OCA): OCA organizes the Asian Games, the largest continental multi-sport event by athlete count. It mirrors IWGA's federation-governed multi-sport event model and competes with IWGA for host city attention across the Asian region.

Emerging players

• International Masters Games Association (IMGA): IMGA organizes the World Masters Games for veteran athletes. While targeting a different age segment, it shares IWGA's multi-sport event organization model, federation partnerships, and global sport coverage focus.
• International Military Sports Council (CISM): CISM organizes the Military World Games, a quadrennial multi-sport event with overlapping sport disciplines to The World Games. It represents an adjacent multi-sport event model targeting a specific athlete segment.

Broad incumbents

• International Olympic Committee (IOC): The IOC is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement and directly recognizes/supports the IWGA. Both organizations operate as international multi-sport governing entities based in Lausanne, with overlapping governance, athlete pathway, and federation network functions.
• ANOC (Association of National Olympic Committees): ANOC is the association of the world's National Olympic Committees and partners with IWGA on athlete development and NOC engagement for The World Games. It shares the Olympic Movement ecosystem and Lausanne-based operations with IWGA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theWorldGames
• Facebookfacebook.com/iwga.theworldgames
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-world-games

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International World Games Association