The International School Sport Federation (ISF) is an international sports governing body for school sport. Founded in 1972 with 21 European signatory nations, the federation has been organising international competitions to encourage education through sport and student athletes. It has 136 members, from five continents.ISF Retrieved on 2024-09-04
ISF is recognised by the International Olympic Committee since 1995, and is a member of SportAccord.About ISF . ISF. Retrieved on 2014-04-01.Organisations recognised by the International Olympic Committee. Olympic.org. Retrieved on 2014-04-01.Members . SportAccord. Retrieved on 2014-04-01. Its headquarters was based in Brussels, Belgium.Contact . ISF. Retrieved on 2018-07-12. From January 2024, its headquarters was moved to Lausanne, Switzerland.
ISF limits itself to activities with school children between the ages of 13 and 18 (roughly contiguous with high school age). This distinguishes its role from the longer-established International University Sports Federation, which governs student sport from the ages of 17 to 25. FISU Today . FISU. Retrieved on 2014-04-01.Li, Ming et al. "International School Sport", pgs. 291–2. International Sport Management (2012). Human Kinetics. . There are currently 45 recognised ISF sports, with many of them having their own World Schools Championship every two years.http://isfsports.org/sports . ISF. Retrieved on 2018-07-12. Other sport disciplines are part of the Gymnasiade, also known as School Summer Games, its winter edition School Winter Games or ISF Combat Games.
The first official ISF championships were in football and volleyball, which both took place in 1972, athletics, basketball, handball and skiing championships followed a year later. The foremost competition held by the ISF is the Gymnasiade – a biennial multi-sport event first held in 1974 in Wiesbaden, Germany that featured athletics, gymnastics and swimming events.
In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ISF stripped Russia of the right to stage the 2024 ISF Gymnasiade, banned Russia and Belarus from participating in any ISF events, and blocked Russia and Belarus from sending representation to the ISF General Assembly.
History Around the mid-1960s, international sporting contests between schools has been increasing. Besides occasional and haphazard meetings between two or more schools, tournaments were beginning to be organised regularly in different disciplines: in handball from 1963, in volleyball from 1969, in football one year later, and from 1971 also in basketball. Each of these annual tournaments produced basic regulations and a standing committee.
The large number of international competitions requiring eliminating heats at the national level soon gave rise to a desire to co-ordinate these events, within a specific International Federation. To help promote this idea, the Federal Minister of Education and Arts of the Republic of Austria convened a Conference at Raach in the Autumn of 1971. Here the conditions were discussed for setting up a European School Sport Federation.
After very lengthy debates, the project was approved. However, bearing future development possibilities in mind, the ISF was not limited to European countries alone. A Provisional Committee, the members of which were chosen from among the 21 nations present, was set up, and the meeting of the constituent General Assembly was fixed for 4 June 1972 at Beaufort/Luxembourg. This meeting adopted the Statutes and proceeded to elect the members of the first Executive Committee.
In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the ISF stripped Russia of the right to stage the 2024 ISF Gymnasiade, banned Russia and Belarus from participating in any ISF events, and blocked Russia and Belarus from sending representation to the ISF General Assembly.
Gymnasiade
Gymnasiade is a school sport event for youth athletes aged 15–18 and 12–15. It is held every two (even) years, hosts between 12 and 25 different sport disciplines and welcomes over 3000 pupils from all over the world.
Regional Asia
Europe First European Schools Games Caen, France 2–8 July 1992.
ISF World School Championships Source:
Around the 1960s international sporting contests between schools were on the increase. Besides occasional and haphazard meetings between two or more schools, tournaments were beginning to be organised regularly in different disciplines: in handball from 1963, in volleyball from 1969, in football from 1970 and from 1971 also in basketball.
Today 21 sports have a separate World Schools Championship (WSC) with 10-12 championships being held per year. Each World Schools Championship usually last from 3–7 days. Yearly, more than 10.0000 pupils from all over the World take part in ISF World Schools Championship. Until 2017, only 21 Sports have a separate World School Championship (WSC). Other sports exist in Games (Summer, Winter or Combat) and haven't separate WSC.
Note: In 2025, 45 sports are approved by this federation. Considering that the Under-18 Gymnaside games are held every two years and the Under-15 Gymnaside games will be held in odd years from 2021, since 2019, there have been very few individual world championship competitions, and only a few team sports are held. More than 20 sports have never had an independent world championship competition. Triathlon and Cricket now have left this federation.
Results in previous sections.
# Event First Edition Last Edition Source Main Sports 1 World School Athletics Championship 1973 24th (2017) 2 World Schools Cross Country Championship 1975 23rd (2018) 3 World School Swimming Championship 1981 12th (2017) Combat Sports 4 World School Sambo Championship 2018 1st (2018) Team Sports 5 World School 3x3 Basketball Championship 2014 3rd (2018) 6 World School Basketball Championship 1973 24th (2017) 7World School Beach Volleyball Championship 2011 4th (2017) 8 World School Cricket Championship 2018 1st (2018) 9 World School Flying Disc Championship 2019 1st (2019) 10 World School Football Championships 1972 26th (2017) 11 World School Futsal Championships 2007 5th (2018) 12 World School Beach Soccer Championships 2023 1th (2023) 13 World School Handball Championship 1973 24th (2018) 14 World School Volleyball Championship 1972 23rd (2018) Winter Sports 15 World School Alpine Ski Championship 1973 23rd (2016) Other Sports 16 World School Badminton Championship 1998 12th (2018) 17 World School Orienteering Championship 1987 17th (2017) 18 World School Sport Climbing Championship 2019 1st (2019) 19 World School Table Tennis Championship 1991 15th (2018) 20 World School Tennis Championship 1995 9th (2017) 21 World School Triathlon Championship 2013 3rd (2017) 22 World School Chess Championship 2019 1st (2019) 23 World School Taekwondo Championship 2023 1st (2023)
1st World School Taekwondo Poomsae Virtual Championship was held in 2020. Also Online Chess was held in 2021 and 2023.
Rugby in 2000 and 2006. Combat Games. Floorball. Gymnaside. Climbing remove ISF.
Baseball. Educational Games.
Source :
Sports 45 Recognized sports (December 2025).
35 Individual Sports (Include 4 Para Sports)
10 Team Sports
Events Cycle International School Games since 1974.
U18 Gymnasiade even-numbered years: 2022,2024,2026,2028
U15 Gymnasiade odd-numbered years: 2021,2023,2025,2027
ISF World School Championships 3 to 5 events/year Basketball, Cross-Country, Futsal, Handball, Volleyball, Golf
ISF World Cup - ISF Football World Cup Every even year since 2024
World Teacher Games - Event for PE teachers from the world
She Runs International event promoting school girls' participation and leadership through sport
2026 Handball - April, Basketball - June, Volleyball - July, Football - October, Golf - TBD, U18 Gymnasiade - TBD, TBD
Members 124 Nations (December 2025).
Regions
# Region Countries 1 Africa 33 2 Asia 26 3 Oceania 2 4 Americas 17 5 Europe 46 Total World 124
Nations Source: