The International School Sport Federation -ISF- has unveiled a 2027 calendar comprising eight events across Europe, Asia and the Americas, two more than scheduled for 2026. The main change affects badminton, wrestling and beach volleyball, which will move from sharing the Gymnasiade programme to having separate championships next season. Each sport will therefore have its own venue, organising committee, registration process and competition schedule. Delhi will host the World School Badminton and Wrestling Championships together in April, while Larnaca will stage the World School Beach Volleyball Championship in October.
The separation does not necessarily mean that all three sports will be holding their first standalone school championships, as badminton and beach volleyball have had dedicated ISF competitions in previous periods. The change concerns their position within the 2027 structure after appearing at recent Gymnasiades. The federation will retain its main U15 multisport event in Zlatibor, while reserving separate dates for those sports to stage their own competitions. Seven events across the calendar will include U15 athletes and five will be open to the U18 category, meaning several will accommodate both age groups.
Two championships and training in Delhi
Delhi’s selection for badminton and wrestling follows an agreement signed in June by the ISF, the city government and the School Games Federation of India -SGFI-. Initial estimates anticipate the combined participation of approximately 1,000 students from around 50 delegations. India will host events belonging to the international federation for the first time and stage two championships at the same location. This arrangement allows the organisers to share some accommodation, transport and general services without incorporating the sports into a multisport competition. The ISF has yet to publish the exact dates, venues and final distribution of age categories.
The cooperation began before the hosting decision. The ISF Academy and United World Wrestling -UWW- organised a Level 1 training programme at Thyagaraj Stadium for physical education teachers, coaches and school sport professionals. The course covered contemporary techniques, physical preparation, nutrition, injury prevention, pressure management and communication with athletes. The ISF also worked with the Badminton World Federation -BWF- in Pune and New Delhi to train around 50 educators through the Shuttle Time and Coach Level 1 programmes. This model illustrates part of the organisation’s role for its members: it connects national school sport bodies with the technical expertise of international federations, trains those working with students and subsequently adds an international competition pathway.
Three countries host their first competition
Bulgaria, India and Saudi Arabia will join the group of ISF host countries in 2027. Samokov will organise the U15 World School Basketball Championship in June, while Riyadh will stage the World School Golf Championship in November. The latter competition began in Rabat in 2025 and will remain in Morocco for 2026 before moving to Saudi Arabia. The move will take the three-edition championship beyond its original host, although the ISF has not yet disclosed the specific reasons behind the decision or confirmed the course where the third edition will be played.
The return of Cyprus followed a different process. An ISF delegation visited the country in June, held meetings with the government, the national sports body and the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, and inspected the proposed beach volleyball facilities. The authorities then submitted a formal bid, and the calendar has now placed the championship in Larnaca in October. Cyprus will therefore return to the programme after several years without hosting an ISF competition. The award also illustrates the process that prospective hosts must complete: coordination with the national ISF member, institutional backing, presentation of facilities, an inspection and negotiations over the organisational requirements.
Shangluo extends a four-year project
The new destinations will appear alongside organisations with previous hosting experience. Shangluo will stage the U15 World School Volleyball Championship in July as part of an agreement covering four consecutive editions from 2025 to 2028. The Chinese city began the project in 2025 with 30 teams from 17 delegations, organised the U18 competition in 2026 and will now return to the younger category. Serbia will apply a similar alternation through the Gymnasiade: the ISF reserves odd-numbered years for the U15 edition and even-numbered years for the U18 event, meaning Zlatibor will follow the U18 Gymnasiade staged in Brazil in December 2026.
Brazil will close the 2027 season with the World School Futsal Championship in November and December, although the host city has not yet appeared on the calendar. The ISF is working with the eight local organising committees to finalise the outstanding dates, facilities and categories before publishing the technical bulletins and opening registration. The programme therefore combines continuity in Brazil, Serbia and China, the return of Cyprus and the arrival of Bulgaria, India and Saudi Arabia. Its expansion from six to eight events rests both on the addition of these hosts and on the decision to give badminton, wrestling and beach volleyball a standalone place within the international school sport circuit.
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