Major Global Sports Governing Bodies

Global sports governing bodies are the international organizations that set rules, run championships, and oversee discipline-specific administration across sports. For Prelims revision, the most useful facts are their headquarters, founding year, current leadership, and the sport they regulate.

Olympic and Athletic Governance

• International Olympic Committee (IOC): Founded in 1894 in Paris and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement and oversees the Olympic Games. Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe became the 10th President of the IOC, the first woman and the first African to lead the body.
• World Athletics: Established in 1912 as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) and renamed in 2019. Headquartered in Monaco, it governs track and field, road running, race walking, and cross-country running. Sebastian Coe is serving his third and final four-year term as President.
• International Basketball Federation (FIBA): Founded in 1932 and headquartered in Mies, Switzerland. It administers international basketball, including the FIBA Basketball World Cup. Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani of Qatar is the current President.

Field Sports Governing Bodies

• Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA): Founded in 1904 in Paris and headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. It regulates association football, futsal, and beach soccer. Gianni Infantino serves as President.
• World Rugby: Founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It governs rugby union. Dr. Brett Robinson serves as Chairman.

Racquet and Court Sports

• World Tennis: Formerly the International Tennis Federation (ITF), this London-headquartered body rebranded as World Tennis in June 2026. David Haggerty continues as President and oversees the Rules of Tennis and major team events such as the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
• Badminton World Federation (BWF): Founded in 1934 and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It manages world badminton championships and tournaments. Khunying Patama Leeswadtrakul serves as President for the 2025–2029 term.
• International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF): Established in 1926 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It regulates international table tennis. Petra Sörling is the current President.

Cricket and Aquatics Management

• International Cricket Council (ICC): Founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket Conference and headquartered in Dubai. It manages global cricket and major events such as the Cricket World Cup. Jay Shah serves as Chairman, and Sanjog Gupta is the Chief Executive Officer.
• World Aquatics: Formerly known as FINA, it is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It regulates swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming. Husain Al-Musallam of Kuwait is the President.

Anti-Doping and Fair Play

• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA): Established in 1999 under the Lausanne Declaration and headquartered in Montreal, Canada. It coordinates the global fight against doping in sport. Witold Bańka is President and Yang Yang is Vice-President.
• World Anti-Doping Code: This is WADA’s core framework for anti-doping policy, rules, and compliance. It harmonizes testing procedures, laboratory standards, and therapeutic use exemption rules across sports bodies and public authorities.

Key Prelims Takeaways

• Lausanne hub: Lausanne, Switzerland is a major administrative centre for global sports bodies such as the IOC, World Aquatics, and ITTF.
• IOC leadership: Kirsty Coventry became the IOC President, marking the first woman and first African to head the organization.
• World Athletics origin: It began as the IAAF in 1912 and was renamed World Athletics in 2019.
• Football administration: FIFA governs association football, futsal, and beach soccer from Zurich.
• Cricket governance: The ICC is headquartered in Dubai and oversees major international cricket tournaments.
• Anti-doping framework: WADA and the World Anti-Doping Code form the backbone of global anti-doping regulation.
• Rebranding note: The ITF has been referred to as World Tennis since June 2026.