Attila Adamfi, General Secretary of the Federation of International Bandy -FIB-, has been appointed by the Executive Board of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations -ARISF- to chair a working group tasked with developing a proposal to restructure the Board’s composition. The objective is to better reflect the diversity of ARISF’s membership. The appointment took place in connection with the association’s General Assembly in Lausanne, Switzerland, where Adamfi also represented bandy at the SportAccord Forum.
The working group’s mandate is strictly to prepare and submit a proposal for consideration by the ARISF Executive Board. ARISF is led by President Raffaele Chiulli. The group has no independent decision-making authority and no general mandate to review the statutes or revise the association’s governance framework.
Adamfi’s experience
Adamfi combines a playing career with two decades of federation responsibilities. He represented Hungary in more than a hundred international matches and captained the national team until his retirement in 2015. He has been FIB Vice-President since 2006 and became General Secretary in 2022, contributing to the organisation’s administrative transformation.
His experience also includes serving as Director General of the International Weightlifting Federation -IWF- and organising Olympic competitions. His new assignment is within an association that represents federations recognised by the International Olympic Committee -IOC- and facilitates their dialogue with the Olympic Movement, although it does not itself decide which sports enter the Games.
Bandy’s international recognition
Bandy is a team sport played on ice using skates, sticks and a ball. FIB gained IOC recognition in 2004, but the sport is not part of the Olympic Winter Games programme. Expanding international participation and pursuing potential Olympic inclusion remain among the federation’s objectives, separate from the mandate of the ARISF working group.
In August, Adamfi met Pierre Ducrey, IOC Sports Director, and Tania Tchea, Head of Recognised International Federations. He presented FIB’s reforms and Olympic ambitions, including the possibility of targeting 2034. He also outlined the development of Short Bandy, a format that uses existing ice hockey facilities and allows competitions to be organised without building a dedicated bandy rink.
Meetings at SportAccord
Separately from his ARISF assignment, Adamfi met representatives of the IOC, the World Anti-Doping Agency -WADA- and other sports organisations during the forum. The discussions addressed FIB’s international relationships, governance and bandy’s visibility. The SportAccord programme included sessions on the future of winter sports and cooperation with host cities, two areas connected to the federation’s venue and competition needs.
Adamfi described the objectives of FIB’s participation in the forum: “SportAccord provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen our cooperation with the key organisations of the Olympic Movement and to present the potential of bandy as a dynamic, international winter sport.” He added: “Our meetings in Lausanne were focused on building relationships, improving FIB’s international position and creating further opportunities for the development of our sport.”
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