With less than two weeks until International Federation leaders gather at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne to navigate the challenges reshaping the global sports landscape, SportAccord today reveals a programme of high-impact panel discussions and world-class speakers for the IF Forum 2025.
The three-day event will be held from 27-29 October, themed around The New Global Reality in Sport: IFs in a world that refuses to stand still. It will unite 400 leaders from 120 International Federations along with guest speakers and exclusive IF Forum partners, who all bring experience and expertise to share with each other.
Keynote addresses will be delivered on Monday 27 October, followed by panel discussions and interactive sessions on Tuesday 28 and Wednesday 29 October.
Panels will examine critical topics including commercialisation and leadership in a fragmented world, ensuring sustainability in the growth of women’s sport, and strategies for International Federations to remain relevant year-round.
Prof. Dr. Uğur Erdener, President of SportAccord, commented: “The IF Forum represents a critical moment for International Federation leaders to come together and address shared challenges at a time of unprecedented change.
“The panels we have curated bring together speakers from a variety of backgrounds, and we are confident this will help International Federations to work together to shape a bright future for sport.”
The IF Forum 2025 will also hear a keynote address from Professor Simon Chadwick, a leading sports business academic and consultant, on sport’s role in an age of global disruption. This will examine the importance of sport in demonstrating resilience, unity and purpose, and the lessons it must learn to remain relevant, trusted and future-ready.
Speakers on panels include International Federation leaders, athletes and independent experts who will provide their insights to delegates.
The commercialisation, monetisation and leadership in the Age of Fragmentation panel will bring together leaders including International Table Tennis Federation President Petra Sörling, International Biathlon Union Secretary General Max Cobb, International Equestrian Federation Executive Director of Commercial, Marketing and Communications François Vergnol, World Flying Disc Federation President Rob Rauch and Giles Morgan Group Head of Sponsorship of Howden Group Holdings. They will explore how International Federations are adapting commercial strategies and digital engagement in an increasingly competitive landscape.
The discussion on women’s sport will feature prominent voices including three-time Olympic swimming medallist Pernille Blume, International Volleyball Federation President Fabio Azevedo, International Floorball Federation President Filip Suman, Lombe Mwambwa, Research Director at the Global Observatory for Gender Equality and Sport, and Midori Miyazaki, Executive Director of ISPS Handa. They will examine how International Federations can convert visibility into sustainable investment and long-term impact.
A dedicated session on how IFs can stay relevant year-round will spotlight strategies for maintaining audience engagement beyond major event cycles, featuring International Skating Union Jiao Li, Chief of Commercial and Marketing, International Canoe Federation Secretary General Richard Pettit, Brisbane 2032 Chief Sports Office Kit McConnell and RedTorch CEO Jonny Murch.
Moreover, the IF Forum will examine innovation and foresight for International Federations, exploring how they can anticipate disruption and build resilience.
The IF Forum 2025 will serve as a vital platform for dialogue and exchange among International Federation leaders, and the insights and momentum generated will lay important groundwork for the SportAccord Convention 2026 in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Further details on panels and speakers will be revealed in the lead-up to the IF Forum on sportaccord.sport.
