LAUSANNE, December 21, 2021 - On behalf of the entire GAISF team, please accept my season’s greetings to all our Members, stakeholders, partners and the global sports community.

It is a great honour to be addressing all of GAISF’s Members as the President of GAISF, and I am excited to work even more closely with you all to promote the power of sport and to achieve our common goal of a better world through sport.

We have all overcome significant challenges over the past two years. Indeed, GAISF’s Members have been instrumental in the widespread safe return of sport during 2021. And we can all be very proud of the way we have adapted, becoming more resilient and flexible than ever to ensure athletes can compete in safe and secure environments. In many cases, these adaptations have filtered all the way through to grassroots sport, from local leagues to local and national competitions, ensuring that people the world over can keep active and healthy.

And we were able to come together, both in-person and from our homes, to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 thanks to the tireless efforts of the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee, International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee, and our friends in Japan.  And congratulations to the Olympic summer International Sports Federations (IFs) for showcasing the best of sport to billions worldwide while bringing joy and hope when it was so greatly needed.

And of course, my many congratulations must go to surfing, skateboarding, karate and sport climbing for making their highly successful Olympic debuts, and to baseball and softball on its Olympic return after 13 years. All of these sports showcased great innovation and will forever remain a key part of the legacy of Tokyo 2020.

Of course, with the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 on the horizon, we already have much to look forward to next year. I can attest to the fact that Olympic winter IFs will be busy making their final preparations over the upcoming weeks. So my best wishes to my fellow Winter IFs, and I shall see you all in Beijing for a fantastic celebration of winter sport.

GAISF has also been busy throughout 2021 and has continued to support our Members through dedicated services such as Athletes’ Safeguarding Workshops and online webinars on competition law and athlete eligibility. This year, GAISF also worked closely with SportAccord and the IOC on the delivery of two IF Forums.

We also continued to expand the Sustainability Portal, which now boats over 1,000 resources from case studies, guidelines and reports to the latest sustainability news and initiatives from sports governing

bodies.

Additionally, .sport continued to grow considerably with IFs taking full advantage of this powerful platform. Since its launch, over 10,000 organisations have applied to join the safe and secure online web domain made solely for sport.

While many positives can be drawn from 2021, it is clear that significant challenges still remain in relation to COVID-19.

Sport must keep striving forward as one united team, adapting as needed and ensuring the utmost attention is paid to ensuring the health and well-being of all involved. And while the end may now seem further away, I have no doubt that we will emerge even stronger in the months and years ahead.

And we have much to look forward to, including the long-awaited return of SportAccord, and I look forward to welcoming you all to Ekaterinburg, Russia next May.

So please take care over the next few weeks, and I hope you are able to spend some precious time with your loved ones.

Yours in sport,

Ivo Ferriani

GAISF President