The 49th General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) convened today in Lausanne, Switzerland, and elected Nenad Lalovic, President of United World Wrestling, Jean-Christophe Rolland, President of World Rowing and Andreas Zagklis, Secretary General of the International Basketball Federation as Council members for a four-year term and Ximena Restrepo, Senior Vice President of World Athletics for a two-year term. Nenad Lalovic was re-elected for a second term of office, while Jean-Christophe Rolland and Andreas Zagklis succeed Uğur Erdener (World Archery) and Sebastian Coe (World Athletics) who have concluded their final terms. Because Ingmar De Vos has started his Presidential term on 1 January 2025, Ximena Restrepo will be filling his vacated Council seat and serving the remainder of his unexpired term (2025-2027).

Collaboration to deliver the best Olympic Games

At the beginning of the meeting, Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and IOC President-Elect Kirsty Coventry, who will take the helm on 23 June 2025, both addressed ASOIF’s member federations. Thomas Bach thanked the Summer Olympic International Federations (IFs) for their important contributions over the last years in making the Olympic Games more modern, younger and more sustainable, as highlighted at its best at Paris 2024. He also reminded of several global and geopolitical challenges during his Presidency which the Olympic Movement overcame by standing together.

Kirsty Coventry stressed the importance of working closely with the IFs to deliver the best Olympic Games for the athletes and build a better world through sport. She explained how both priorities are closely connected with Olympic athletes inspiring the next generation. 

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Image credits

© ASOIF | Yoan Jeudy

Fostering collaboration with the IOC

New ASOIF President Ingmar De Vos, who led the General Assembly for the first time, said: “From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank Thomas Bach for his steadfast dedication and incredible services to the Olympic Movement throughout these past 12 years. Thanks to his wise leadership, we weathered several storms and ASOIF looks forward to continuing the excellent collaboration between the IOC and the International Federations under Kirsty Coventry. The Summer Olympic International Federations stand ready to play their important role in the Olympic Movement and add value through their expertise whenever possible.”

Focus on the future

The meeting was held in the spirit of the future and, following a recent membership survey initiated by Ingmar De Vos to capture members’ insights, the General Assembly had a very constructive discussion about the association’s new strategic plan currently in the making and aimed at reflecting members’ key priorities and needs. A dedicated working meeting was held the day prior to the General Assembly. The strategic plan will now be developed based on the input received and validated by the Council later this year.

IF governance

Meanwhile, IF governance will remain a priority and the General Assembly learnt details about the Sixth Review of IF Governance which will kick off in autumn. This regular assessment, led by ASOIF’s Governance Task Force, is based on a full set of governance principles and indicators tailored to the specific characteristics and needs of sport organisations. The Fifth Review of IF Governance, published a year ago, again demonstrated progress in important areas and, for the first time, all participating member IFs met the target set.

World Boxing

The General Assembly also admitted World Boxing as an Associate Member. In February 2025, the IOC Executive Board granted the provisional recognition of World Boxing as the IF within the Olympic Movement governing the sport of boxing at world level. A month later, the IOC Session approved the inclusion of boxing on the LA28 Olympic sports programme.

Olympic revenue share

ASOIF member federations were also updated on the Paris 2024 Olympic revenue share to the IFs, which has been completed by the IOC. The total amount is USD 590.1 million, representing a 9.22% increase from Tokyo 2020, which was USD 540.3 million. While the increase has been satisfactory, the General Assembly agreed that the current Olympic revenue distribution model will require review and revision in the near future, particularly regarding the three new IFs (International Federation of Sport Climbing, International Surfing Association and World Skate) that will be part of the revenue distribution scheme of LA28.

Olympic Games updates

With the conclusion of the successful Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the new Olympic cycle already underway, the General Assembly also received in-person reports from the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games of LA28 and Brisbane 2032 and the Dakar 2026 Organising Committee for the Youth Olympic Games. 

Finally, the General Assembly heard updates from the IOC on matters related to the IFs and the Olympic Games, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the International Testing Agency.

The General Assembly was fully livestreamed on YouTube. A selection of photos is available on Flickr.