[Source: IFAF] The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) and International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising a partnership under which the two International Federations (IFs) will collaborate with the primary aim of optimising costs and environmental impacts associated with key areas of governance.
The wide-ranging agreement, which is thought to be a first of its kind between IFs, reflects a shared commitment to progressive sports governance in line with the priorities of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC’s) Agenda 2020 + 5.
Cooperation in the framework of the MoU is already under way, with the two organisations agreeing to co-finance the attendance of legal delegates to the IOC Medical Conference and Prevention of Competition Manipulation Workshop in 2025.
These areas – medical, safeguarding and integrity – represent a core focus for collaboration under the agreement, which is structured around three pillars:
- Shared Resources, exploring opportunities for co-funding and mutualisation;
- Knowledge transfer, via regular exchange of experience and best practices; and
- Cross-promotion initiatives, seeking to enhance the visibility of both sports and their respective athletes in the build-up to the Olympic Games LA28.
The two International Federations are respectively among the youngest and most established in the Olympic movement, presenting considerable value in exchange.
IFAF achieved full IOC recognition in 2023 and was awarded associate membership of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) at the organisation’s General Assembly in 2024, following the inclusion of flag football on the sports programme of the Olympic Games LA28. The fast-growing, high-speed version of America’s favourite sport is set to be among the most high-profile attractions at the Games in Los Angeles, where it will enjoy a prime downtown venue and with leading NFL stars recently cleared to compete.
Shooting sport featured on the programme of the first modern Olympic Games and has been governed internationally by ISSF since its establishment in 1907. The ISSF has ambitious plans to further build on the sport’s popularity in north America, leveraging two competition venues at LA Clays and the Long Beach Convention Center that puts the sport at the centre of the Games plan.
Pierre Trochet, President of IFAF, said: “We are pleased to strengthen our cooperation with the ISSF – a federation that shares our commitment to exemplary and progressive governance, and is open to innovative approaches to optimising costs and impacts.
“Pioneering new, smart models of collaboration is a cornerstone of IFAF’s growth strategy, as we have demonstrated through our transformative partnerships with professional leagues. With this MoU, we are extending the same approach to institutional governance, allowing us to drive mutual benefits and efficiencies, and for IFAF – as a young and ambitious federation, determined to implement best practices – to benefit from the wealth of experience held by our established peers.”
ISSF President, Luciano Rossi, said: “As one of the founder members of the modern Olympic Games in 1896, it is a pleasure to join forces with IFAF, who after many years of dedicated effort has become one of the newest members of the Olympic family. We are looking forward to working together in areas of mutual interest and I am confident that through creative collaboration we can become more efficient individually but also contribute new ideas in support of the Olympic movement.”
