International Amateur Kabaddi Federation

What International Amateur Kabaddi Federation does

The International Amateur Kabaddi Federation (IAKF) is a non-profit international sports federation that governs and develops amateur Kabaddi worldwide. Founded in 2017 during the ISC World Games in Kathmandu, Nepal, IAKF functions as an umbrella organization for National Kabaddi Federations, Associations, and regional bodies across Sub-Continental, Continental, and World tiers. It is the only international Kabaddi federation registered under the Non-Profit Act in both Canada and the United States (Kansas, since 2023), which is the IOC's mandatory legal structure for Olympic recognition — competing bodies such as World Kabaddi Federation, World Kabaddi LTD, and World Amateur Kabaddi Federation are registered under for-profit Company Acts and are therefore ineligible.

IAKF's core offering is a free membership program for one legally registered National Kabaddi Federation per country, plus financial assistance to help countries establish new national federations. It coordinates international Kabaddi competitions under standardized rules, supports sport development initiatives targeting the IOC's 45-federation threshold across 3 continents, and maintains a digital presence (website, email, newsletter) as its primary operating channel. The organization claims 60+ member countries (68+ unique) and 40+ National Federations across 5 continents, with alliances to ISC, WSGF, IPSC, and FIEPS.

IAKF's revenue model is effectively non-commercial: membership is free to national federations, the organization is not publicly traded, and no funding rounds, app, API, or proprietary technology products are disclosed. The single string of addresses is a Brooklyn, NY office plus a Kansas legal HQ; the organization is supported by a small team of 10+ members. Its mission is explicit: drive Kabaddi toward Olympic recognition by aggregating enough Non-Profit-Act-registered national federations globally.

Name

International Amateur Kabaddi Federation

Legal name

International Amateur Kabaddi Federation

Website

https://iakf.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

International Amateur Kabaddi Federation (IAKF) is a non-profit international sports federation founded in 2017 that governs amateur Kabaddi and recruits National Kabaddi Federations worldwide, offering free membership and financial assistance to pursue IOC Olympic recognition for the sport.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Sports Federation Governance

NAICS

Other Services (except Public Administration) (81)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

International Sport Federations (IFs) (MPAKAFAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• International sports federation
• Kabaddi governance
• Amateur athletics
• Sport development services
• Olympic recognition pursuit

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. Organizational Membership: Free membership for National Kabaddi Federations. The organization operates as a non-profit and does not charge membership fees, instead providing financial support to help new federations register.
2. Partnership Funding: Funding through partnerships with International Sports Organizations including ISC, WSGF, IPSC, and FIEPS to support Kabaddi development initiatives worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IAKF provides free National Kabaddi Federation/Association membership, governance and rule-setting for amateur Kabaddi worldwide, sport development initiatives to expand Kabaddi beyond South Asia, and coordination of international competitions at sub-continental, continental, and world levels. The federation also offers financial assistance to help countries register their national Kabaddi federations and pursues International Olympic Committee recognition of Kabaddi as an Olympic sport.

Product overview

International Amateur Kabaddi Federation (IAKF) is a non-profit sports governance organization offering membership, sport development services, and competition coordination for the sport of Kabaddi. The organization operates as a unified service offering centered on its free National Federation membership program, which provides governance framework and pathways toward International Olympic Committee recognition. IAKF's core value proposition includes financial support for new national federations, international competition coordination, and the unique eligibility status under Canadian and US Non-Profit Acts that qualifies it for IOC membership—a distinction not shared by other Kabaddi governing bodies registered under for-profit company structures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IAKF Membership Program Free membership program for legally registered National Kabaddi Federations and Associations, providing organizational support, governance framework, and eligibility for Olympic (IOC) membership pathways. IAKF also offers financial assistance to help new countries register their National Kabaddi Federations.
• Kabaddi Sport Development Services Global sport development initiatives aimed at expanding Kabaddi beyond traditional markets (India, Pakistan, South Asia) to reach 45+ registered national federations across multiple continents as required by the International Olympic Committee for sport recognition.
• International Kabaddi Competition Coordination Coordination and governance of international Kabaddi competitions, including Sub-Continental, Continental, and World-level events, with standardized rules and regulations for the sport.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ National Federations from 5 Continents united under single governing body

Named customers2 records

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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Sports Council (ISC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerISC organized the ISC World Games 2017 in Kathmandu, Nepal where IAKF was formed. ISC is based in Canada and is a key founding partner of the federation.
• World Sports Games Federation (WSGF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization supporting international sports development initiatives related to Kabaddi.
• International Professional Sports Confederation (IPSC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization in the professional sports confederation network.
• FIEPSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational sports federation partner organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• African Kabaddi Federation: Continental Kabaddi body in IAKF's stated umbrella. Comparable as a peer regional federation, particularly relevant given IAKF's multi-continental growth strategy and IOC's 3-continent recognition requirement.
• Asian Kabaddi Federation: Continental Kabaddi body explicitly named in IAKF's umbrella scope as a target affiliation. Comparable as a regional federation but with overlapping claim to Asian national federations that IAKF is also recruiting.
• Pan American Kabaddi Federation: Continental Kabaddi body referenced in IAKF's organizational scope. Comparable peer at the regional level and a logical affiliate given IAKF's North American HQ base.
• International Kabaddi Federation (India): The legacy India-centric international Kabaddi body. Comparable in scope and purpose but anchored in the sport's traditional home market, where IAKF explicitly criticizes the lack of 'strong leadership' for global development.

Broad incumbents

• World Taekwondo: IOC-recognized international federation for a combat/contact sport analogous to Kabaddi. Comparable as a successful IF that pursued and won Olympic recognition, providing a model and benchmark for IAKF's own Olympic trajectory.
• International Judo Federation: Long-established IOC-recognized international federation for a combat-oriented sport. Comparable as a structural peer (international federation governing rules, competitions, and athlete development) and demonstrates the operational scale IAKF would need to reach.
• United World Wrestling: IOC-recognized international federation governing a combat/contact sport. Comparable to IAKF in category and governance model, and relevant as a benchmark for what an established amateur-combat IF looks like at scale.

Direct peers

• World Kabaddi LTD: A for-profit corporate-registered international Kabaddi entity explicitly cited by IAKF as a competing body. Operates in the same international Kabaddi governance space but lacks IAKF's Non-Profit Act structural advantage for IOC eligibility.
• World Kabaddi Federation: The principal rival international Kabaddi governing body. Directly competes with IAKF for global federation representation, though it is registered under a Company Act rather than a Non-Profit Act, which IAKF cites as disqualifying it from IOC membership.
• World Amateur Kabaddi Federation: Named by IAKF as one of the alternative international Kabaddi bodies. Competes for national federation affiliations globally and shares the 'amateur' positioning, making it the closest structural peer in the same space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Amateur Kabaddi Federation