The SportAccord Forum builds on the IF Forum with a broader, more ambitious format, while remaining firmly rooted in its purpose: for the International Federations, by the International Federations.
The 2026 edition creates more opportunities for International Federations to connect with the Olympic Movement, host destinations and a select group of partners and exhibitors. Together, the changes reflect three areas at the heart of SportAccord’s work: events, connections and insights.
When the SportAccord Forum opens at the Olympic Museum on 5 October, delegates will find new session formats, a redesigned venue layout and, for the first time, the City Forum.
Here is what to expect in Lausanne.
The conference programme
Under the theme When the Playbook Changes: Leading Sport in a New Reality, the 2026 conference programme will bring together 39 speakers across three days of keynotes, panel discussions and selected new formats.
The main stage remains at the heart of the programme, while a small number of shorter, more dynamic sessions will be introduced, creating additional space for key subjects to be explored and debated.
The full speaker line-up will be announced in the coming weeks.
The City Forum
The most significant addition to the 2026 edition is the City Forum, putting host cities, regions and destinations more firmly into the conversation around the future of international sporting events.
Rights holders need destinations in which to stage their events, just as destinations need the right events to deliver against their sporting, economic and social ambitions. Yet there are fewer opportunities designed specifically to bring the right decision-makers together. For the first time, the Forum is creating a dedicated structure for this dialogue, strengthening relationships between rights holders and host destinations across a broader spectrum of events.
Running across Tuesday evening and Wednesday, the City Forum will combine networking, curated introductions and dedicated sessions. Discussions will explore long-term hosting strategies, economic and social value, sports tourism and stronger partnerships between destinations and International Federations, while also looking at how hosting can support participation, community engagement, healthy ageing and longer-term value. Read more about the City Forum
New connections for International Federations
The venue itself has been rethought. The 2026 layout is designed around how delegates use the Forum: more space for meetings and networking, a redesigned exhibition area, and a flow that keeps the programme and the conversations close together. Set in the Olympic Capital, minutes from the IOC and the headquarters of dozens of federations, the setting remains part of the experience.
New ways to be in the room
The 2026 edition introduces a more structured approach to partners and exhibitors, with a limited number of organisations joining the Forum through Event Partner and Exhibitor packages.
These organisations will bring expertise from different areas of international sport into closer contact with International Federations over the three days.
For the first time, International Federations will also be able to bring one of their own commercial partners through a dedicated accreditation, extending participation to organisations already working directly alongside them.
“The Forum has always been about bringing the International Federation community together and creating an environment where meaningful conversations can happen. In 2026, we are building on that foundation, introducing new ways for IFs to connect with each other, the Olympic Movement, host destinations and organisations from across international sport. Our partners and exhibitors play an important role in that, bringing expertise and perspectives that add real value to the conversations taking place, while International Federations remain firmly at the heart of the Forum.”
Kelly Fairweather, Managing Director, SportAccord
Same venue. New layout
For the first time, the main conference programme will take place in the Olympic Museum auditorium, creating more space throughout the venue for meetings, networking and the exhibition.
The new layout puts greater emphasis on connection, creating more space for the planned meetings and spontaneous conversations that are such an important part of the Forum.
What remains at the heart of the SportAccord Forum
What has not changed is why people come: to meet the decision-makers shaping international sport, exchange knowledge and build relationships that are difficult to replicate elsewhere.
What changes in 2026 is the structure around that experience. The Forum is more focused and more deliberate in how it brings people together, designed to make the connections and conversations across the three days even more valuable.
More than 500 delegates are expected in Lausanne, representing over 120 International Federations alongside the IOC, partners, host destinations and senior figures from across international sport.
The SportAccord Forum takes place from 5-7 October 2026 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Full programme and speaker announcements will follow in the coming weeks.
