A historical MoU has been signed between the IOC and AIMS - Lausanne, Switzerland

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Alliance of Independent Members of SportAccord (AIMS) have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Signed at the annual SportAccord conference in Lausanne, Switzerland, April 20, 2016, the IOC was represented by IOC President Dr. Thomas Bach, and AIMS was represented by its counterpart Stephan Fox.

This is a momentous occasion. There was a time not so long ago when the IOC refused to have anything to do with the AIMS group. This MOU is of further significance in light of last June’s spat between the IOC and SportAccord, where then SportAccord president Marius Viser stated in his opening remarks at the 2015 SportAccord Convention that “The IOC system is expired, outdated, wrong, unfair and not at all transparent.” Viser resigned, Patrick Baumann is now president, and fences have obviously gone through a mending process.

With this agreement the IOC acknowledges the role and leadership of AIMS and its valuable contribution to support of the Olympic Movement. Now AIMS member sports have the right to be included in the “Olympic Movement Directory.” AIMS proudly supports and promotes the vision and mission of the Olympic movement by sustaining and developing sports, and it continues to be credible in sport through applicable principles of the Olympic Movement. Its aims are to “strengthen each sport, combine expertise, share knowledge, and maintain close cooperation with the IOC so that ultimately each sport can achieve IOC recognition.”

AIMS is the umbrella group of 23 international sport federations, which are members of SportAccord. Sleddog Sport is among AIMS’s members. AIMS has it roots from 2009 when it was granted a seat on the SportAccord Council. Its first president was Fumio Morooka (Flying Disk) of Japan. It took some time for it to get its organizational feet on the ground, but under Espen Lund (Norway) and now under Stephan Fox (Muaythai - Thailand), it is fast becoming a significant player in the world of sport. It was formally named in 2011 with Espen Lund (Kickboxing) as its president. Until her departure from IFSS (International Federation of Sleddog Sports) in 2012, Sally Bair (Sleddog – USA) had acted as AIMS’s secretary. The AIMS sports represent almost half of SportAccord’s international sports federation members.

SportAccord is the former GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations) and was formed in 1976 as an umbrella organization of both Olympic and non-Olympic sports federations with its headquarters in Monaco. GAISF became the present SportAccord in 2003 and moved its headquarters to Lausanne. SportAccord since its inception has hosted seminars and training and has launched the multi-sports games, which have been a huge success. IFSS has been a member of GAISF/SportAccord since 1987.