All IFs meet target score set out for ASOIF’s Fifth Governance Review
The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) today published the results of the Fifth Review of International Federation Governance. For the first time, all 32 member federations met the target set, which for this edition was a moderated score of 150 out of a theoretical maximum of 240. The aim of the project, led by ASOIF’s Governance Task Force (GTF), is to promote and ensure a culture of good governance within the International Federations (IFs) and help drive continuous progress.
In addition to the main findings, the report, entitled ‘Progressing towards better International Federation governance’, includes an overview of changes in scores from the First Review in 2017 to the Fifth Review, highlighting the IFs’ significant progress and summarising important developments. It also features case studies of three IFs who have achieved considerable improvement since the previous iteration. The GTF regarded this study as the start of a new cycle and updated the self-assessment questionnaire to include 10 new measurable indicators, bringing the total to 60.
ASOIF President and GTF Chair Francesco Ricci Bitti said: “This fifth review has taken our member federations to the next level. The results show that the large majority of IFs have now put in place important governance measures, enabling them to anticipate and respond to emerging and more complex challenges.” He emphasised: “Well-governed sport organisations are essential for protecting the autonomy, growth and healthy future of sport. Our member federations, as key stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, are ready to play their part and move forward to progress further.”
An independent sports governance consultancy (I Trust Sport) reviewed the responses and moderated the scores, with each indicator being assessed against scores on a scale of 0 to 4. For the third time now, IFs were divided into groups based on their total score.
Key findings include:
- Total moderated scores among the 32 IFs ranged from 153 to 219 out of 240.
- Most IFs saw increases in scores since the previous governance review (considering average score per indicator).
- The average total score increased from 104 out of 200 in the First Review in 2017 to 163 in the Fifth Review (considering only the 50 indicators retained from the previous editions), demonstrating large improvements across the IFs.
- For the first time, all participating IFs had published at least one set of annual audited accounts, compared to 18 IFs in the First Review in 2017.
- The number of IFs with at least 25 per cent of their executive board composed of women has increased notably, rising from 10 IFs in the Second Review in 2018 (when the indicator was newly introduced) to 19 IFs in the Fifth Review.
- There was also an increase in the number of IFs that were implementing a safeguarding policy, from 15 IFs in the Third Review in 2020 (when the indicator was newly introduced) to 27 IFs in the Fifth Review.
- Evidence of IF environmental sustainability activity keeps growing: 19 out of 32 IFs had a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions that linked to their overall strategy.
The intention to introduce 10 new indicators was to align the questionnaire with the revised International Olympic Committee Basic Universal Principles of Good Governance within the Olympic Movement (BUPGG) and to take account of the International Partnership against Corruption in Sport (IPACS) Governance Benchmark. Meanwhile, the 50 scored indicators from 2021-22 were retained with only limited modifications. Indicators were equally divided among five sections: Transparency, Integrity, Democracy, Development and Sustainability, and Control Mechanisms.
Click here to discover more and read the full report. Highlights of the progress that the IFs have achieved since the previous assessments can be viewed here. A list of the IFs' good governance practice is available here.