The Association of Summer Olympic International Federations -ASOIF- brought together more than 60 participants from 30 international federations in Lausanne, Switzerland, for a workshop organised by the ASOIF Sport Development and Education Commission -ASDEC-. Held on 5 and 6 May, the meeting placed artificial intelligence, officiating, coach education, support for national federations and the evolution of development programmes within a single modernisation agenda.
The meeting forms part of the ASOIF Strategy 2026-2032, particularly its third pillar, focused on collaboration, knowledge sharing and the creation of shared platforms to respond to member priorities. ASDEC Chair and United World Wrestling Development Director Deqa Niamkey said the workshop offered international federations “a wide range of relevant topics”, from current trends in the sports industry to participation programmes and strategies for entering new markets.
Officiating enters the modernisation agenda
Officiating was one of the central themes of the second day, with discussions on recruitment, retention, certification and engagement with new generations of officials. The conversation comes at a time when international sport, and football in particular, is accelerating the use of technology in decision-making. The FIFA Club World Cup has already served as a testing ground for new audiovisual and referee-tracking solutions, while the FIFA World Cup 2026 will expand that line with artificial intelligence, 3D avatars and new visualisation tools.
In that context, FIFA and Lenovo have presented innovations such as Football AI Pro, 3D player avatars to improve semi-automated offside technology and a new version of Referee View with AI-powered stabilisation. The evolution will also be regulatory. The IFAB has approved measures to protect the tempo of matches at the 2026 World Cup, including a five-second visual countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks, a ten-second limit for substitutions, the temporary removal of players treated on the field and adjustments to the VAR protocol in specific cases. Technology, therefore, is no longer just an isolated addition, but part of a broader transformation of officiating and the competitive experience.
Young officials and coaches: the human challenge
The debate around referees also has a human dimension. Many federations face difficulties in recruiting and retaining young officials, amid growing pressure, early dropout and a lack of clear progression pathways. The REFS project, through a European survey aimed at officials aged 14 to 20, seeks to generate data on motivations, experiences, barriers and factors influencing continuation or withdrawal. The conclusion running through the agenda is clear: the officiating of the future will not only have to be more technological; it will also have to be more attractive, safe and sustainable for those starting out.
Coach education was another major focus of the workshop. John Bales, former president of the International Council for Coaching Excellence -ICCE-, presented updates on new pathways for coach developer education, while Masa Ito, director of the NSSU Coach Developer Academy, shared the case study of the Tokyo programme. Participants also discussed the possibility of ASOIF promoting cross-sport research to map coach developer courses offered by international federations and facilitate the exchange of good practices across sports.
National federations and transfer between sports
The workshop also addressed support for national federations and rising event delivery costs, a pressure that is particularly sensitive for countries or structures with fewer resources. In that context, development initiatives and practical examples were shared, including updates from the Badminton World Federation -BWF- and World Rugby on the Community Coach Pilot Study Programme, as well as case studies from international federations focused on participation programmes, education and knowledge transfer.
The International Shooting Sport Federation -ISSF-, through the ISSF Academy, was one of the federations that highlighted the value of the meeting in positioning education as a central tool for sport development. Its reading fits one of the workshop’s underlying ideas: education is no longer just a support function, but a driver of quality, sustainability and progress from grassroots to elite level.
The meeting concluded with roundtables organised by Olympic Solidarity, where federations were able to exchange feedback, ideas and perspectives on existing programmes and future opportunities for collaboration. Participants particularly valued the chance to work in a collaborative, practical and non-political space to share common challenges. ASOIF did not present a single solution, but it did set out a shared agenda: connecting AI, officiating, coaches, young officials, technical support and shared knowledge to address a transformation that is already underway in international sport.
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