The membership application process for the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS), an IOC-recognised umbrella organisation, is now open to any International Federations governing a sport at the world level and seeking to join the Olympic Movement.
To become an AIMS Member, applicants must fulfil several criteria.
As the collective body of the umbrella organisations, SportAccord manages the application process in cooperation with AIMS. The application file is evaluated by a Membership Commission, composed of one representative from each of the umbrella organisations; the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the Winter Olympic Federations (WOF), the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF) and the Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport (AIMS) and one representative from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The Membership Commission will then make a recommendation to the SportAccord Executive Committee, which will determine whether the applicant has fulfilled the AIMS membership criteria.
Below you will find below some questions and answers that provide an overview of the process.
If you need more information or clarification, please contact aimsmembership@sportaccord.sport
The AIMS Membership application process is open to any International Federations governing a sport at the world level that are interested in joining the Olympic Movement.
SportAccord in cooperation with AIMS manages the AIMS Membership process and criteria, being the collective body of the Umbrella Organisations (ASOIF, WOF, ARISF and AIMS).
The AIMS Membership criteria are divided in 3 groups:
SportAccord will assess whether a National Federation (NF) from any country (defined as a state with a National Olympic Committee recognised by the IOC) meets the necessary organisational, activity, and governance standards to be considered approved.
The NFs of the applicant will be evaluated on the following:
Organisational standard compliance. The applicant will be evaluated on the following:
Activities standard compliance. The applicant will be evaluated on the following:
Governance standard compliance. The applicant will be evaluated based on the following:
a) Official registration (minimum of 3 years of existence)
b) Statutes
c) Sport rules
d) Code of ethics
e) Conflict of interest policy
f) Gender equality policy
g) Code of conduct
h) Sustainability policy
i) Anti-doping risk assessment
j) Anti-doping rules
k) Anti-doping statistics
l) Manipulation of competition rules
m) Anti-doping education
n) Social programmes
o) Good governance self-assessment
The legitimacy criteria examine whether there are multiple applicants or other organisations claiming to be the governing body for the sport. The applicant must demonstrate that it is the legitimate governing body. The following aspects will be evaluated to determine the applicant’s legitimacy:
Sport governance criteria are similar to the legitimacy criteria and examine whether there are compatibility issues between the applicant(s) and a member of an umbrella organisation (ASOIF, WOF, ARISF, and AIMS members) or other organisations recognised by the IOC (e.g., International Paralympic Committee, Commonwealth Games Federation, etc.). The following aspects will be evaluated to determine whether there is a compatibility issue:
A discounted fee (10,000 CHF) applies to former GAISF Observers
Upon completion of these first three steps, the applicant will receive access to an online platform to submit the application file and all related documents.
Decisions on AIMS membership are made by the SportAccord Executive once a year, typically during the SportAccord World Sport & Business Summit. As a result, applicants must submit their full application file several months before the Summit, which usually takes place in April. The submission deadline varies each year. For 2025, the deadline is 28th February 2025.
An application can be started at any time, and the application fee is valid for up to 4 years. This gives each applicant a maximum of 4 years from the date of completing the first three steps of the application process (see point 4 above) to successfully complete their application.
For clarity, the applicant does not need to wait until the end of the 4-year period. If the applicant meets the criteria sooner, their application will be presented to the Executive Committee at the next opportunity, as decisions are made once a year. Therefore, applicants may complete the process successfully within the first year if their file is ready and all criteria are fulfilled.
If the applicant does not become an AIMS member within the 4-year period, or if their application is refused earlier, the application will be terminated. In such cases, the applicant would need to reapply and pay a new membership application fee if they wish to pursue membership again
The SportAccord Membership Commission evaluates the submitted documents and verifies whether the applicant meets the required criteria. The Membership Commission is composed of one representative from each of the umbrella organisations (ASOIF, WOF, ARISF, and AIMS) and one representative from the IOC, and it is chaired by the AIMS representative.
With support from the SportAccord Administration and Membership Team, the Membership Commission prepares a report for the SportAccord Executive Committee. The Executive Committee then reviews this report and decides whether the applicant has met the necessary criteria to become an AIMS member.
To summarise, the application process consists of three phases:
Decision phase: The SportAccord Executive Committee reviews the assessment and determines whether the applicant qualifies for AIMS membership by meeting all the AIMS membership criteria.
Yes, applicants will be in regular contact with the SportAccord Administration and Membership Team, who will provide guidance throughout the process.
Additionally, before the application process is completed, the SportAccord Administration may send an intermediary report to the applicant. This report is intended to help identify any technical issues and provide guidance to ensure the applicant can address these matters and make any necessary adjustments before the final submission to the Membership Commission.
The SportAccord Executive Committee reviews the report provided by the Membership Commission and determines whether the applicant has met the AIMS membership criteria.
For any queries or to begin your application, please contact aimsmembership@sportaccord.sport
Maison Du Sport International, Avenue de Rhodanie 54 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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