List of international sports federations

This is a list of international sports federations, each of which serves as a non-governmental governing body for a given sport and administers its sport at a world level, most often crafting rules, promoting the sport to prospective spectators and fans, developing prospective players, and organizing world or continental championships. Some international sports federations, such as World Aquatics and the International Skating Union, may oversee multiple activities referred to in common parlance as separate sports: World Aquatics, for example governs swimming, diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo as separate "disciplines" within the single "sport" of Aquatics.
International sports federations form an integral part of the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Each Olympic sport is represented by its respective international sports federation, which in turn helps administer the events in its respective sport during the Games. For a sport to become an Olympic sport, its international sports federation must be recognized by the International Olympic Committee.
Likewise, an international sports federation must be recognized by the International Paralympic Committee for its sport to become a paralympic sport, though in the latter case, several Paralympic Sports are governed by a dedicated committee of the International Paralympic Committee itself, under the World Para branding, for example track and field athletics for disabled athletes is governed by the IPC itself, under the name "World Para Athletics". Other Paralympic sports are governed within the structure of the able-bodied equivalent: for example, the UCI governs both able-bodied and paralympic cycling.
Federations whose sports are either included in the Olympic Games (ASOIF, AIOWF) or recognized by the IOC (ARISF) are also stakeholders of SportAccord, after the dissolution of the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) in 2023. Other stakeholders of SportAccord (non-IOC recognized) compose the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS).
Before the dissolution of GAISF in 2023, other than full members (composing ASOIF, AIOWF, ARISF and AIMS), there have been Associate members of GAISF. After the dissolution of GAISF, the proposal has been for its former associate members to be granted observer status at the SportAccord General Assembly. The follwoing were associate members:
There are 17 international federations recognized by the IPC, while the IPC itself serves as the international federation for six sports. IPC recognises also 3 International Organisations of Sports for the Disabled. And there are another 14 federations which are recognised by the IPC but are not eligible to be IPC members.
On 30 November 2016, the IPC adopted the "World Para" brand for all 10 of the sports that it directly governed at that time. At the 2021 IPC General Assembly, IPC members provided a strong mandate for the IPC to cease acting as the international federation for 10 sports by the end of 2026. Para-alpine skiing, para cross country skiing and para snowboard were transferred to FIS, and Para biathlon was transferred to IBU to be overseen by a joint steering committee involving IBU and FIS.} Currently IPC acts as the international federation for six sports:
International Federations are independent sport federations recognised by the IPC as the sole representative of a Paralympic sport. As of 2024, the IPC recognises 17 International Federations representing 19 parasports:
International Organisations of Sports for the Disabled (IOSDs) are independent organisations recognised by the IPC as the sole representatives of a specific impairment group. The IPC currently recognises 3 IOSDs:
Following two years of talks, and relevant decisions by both their General Assemblies, on 1 January 2023, the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) and the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) were merged to form World Abilitysport.
The IPC recognises a number of international sports federations which are not eligible to be IPC members, but contribute to the development of sport opportunities for athletes associated with the Paralympic Movement and have organisational goals that are compatible with the Vision and Mission of the IPC. The following 14 are IPC-recognised international sport federations:
The international federations listed below, for the time being, are not members of Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) or SportAccord, but are among the international members of The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA).
The international federations listed below are not related to either of GAISF, SportAccord or The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA):
Certain sports are currently not governed by international federations, but rather by national associations.