The 50th General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations -ASOIF- brought together its 36 Full and Associate member federations in Lausanne at a moment of transition for the Olympic Movement. The official agenda centred on the implementation of the new ASOIF Strategy 2026-2032, the sixth review of International Federation governance and preparations for the upcoming Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, but the deeper question behind the meeting was broader: what needs to change for the Olympic system to remain relevant, sustainable and credible.
The address by Kirsty Coventry, president of the International Olympic Committee -IOC-, placed that discussion at the beginning of her term in charge of the organisation. Coventry spoke about geopolitics, global divisions, regional tensions and the speed of technological change, and argued that the Olympic Movement is entering a phase that requires collective adaptation. “We are, I believe, at a crossroads. We will ensure that our Movement remains relevant, but we will only be able to do that if we do it together,” she told the international federations.
Federations seek a stronger voice in a more complex system
ASOIF presented the roadmap for its Strategy 2026-2032, structured around three pillars: advocacy, influence and representation; Olympic Games excellence; and collaboration and knowledge sharing. The wording is institutional, but it points to a question of power within the Olympic system: international federations want to strengthen their representation, influence strategic decisions and share knowledge in an environment where no discipline can respond alone to all the challenges linked to calendars, costs, audiences, technology or governance.
Ingmar De Vos, president of ASOIF, summed up that logic by saying that the strategy recognises that collective action matters “more than ever”. “No single IF can navigate every challenge alone,” he said. That message connects with one of the tensions Coventry will have to manage: federations are essential to the sporting delivery of the Games, but the IOC needs to organise an Olympic programme that is becoming larger, more expensive and more complex without every actor defending only its own space.
Governance, transparency and uncomfortable conversations
Governance again occupied a central place, with an update on the sixth review of International Federation governance, whose results will be published in June. The 36 federations took part in a process overseen by ASOIF’s Governance Task Force and supported by an independent consultancy. The exercise is significant: transparency, integrity, internal democracy, controls, safeguarding, data protection and accountability have become indicators of credibility for federations that manage sanctions, elections, eligibility, funding and relations with athletes.
Coventry connected that internal review with a broader idea of self-reflection. “We have to be the best version of ourselves; we have to be the fittest we have ever been in order to be able to move this Movement forward,” she said, using the mindset of an athlete as an institutional metaphor. She also called for disagreements to be addressed directly: “We have to be able to have difficult conversations in the most respectful way, but in the most open and transparent way – knowing that we are trying to achieve the same goal.” That is one of the most delicate points of her mandate: changing without breaking the balance between federations, organisers, athletes, sponsors and the public.
Dakar, Los Angeles and Brisbane as different tests
The Assembly received updates from Dakar 2026, Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032, three projects that represent different challenges. Dakar 2026 will be the first Olympic sports event on African soil and the next major test for the system, taking place from 31 October to 13 November 2026. Its symbolic value is clear, but so is its operational demand: moving from planning to real readiness, coordinating federations and showing that the geographical expansion of Olympism can translate into reliable sports delivery.
Los Angeles 2028 concentrates a different kind of tension: scale, market and programme. The Organising Committee presented how it is preparing the largest sports programme in Olympic history, with testing activities, operational readiness work and accelerated recruitment across key areas. It also reported strong public interest following the launch of the ticket draw, with more than four million tickets sold across 85 countries and all 50 states of the United States in the first phase. For Coventry, LA28 will be a test of managing success: more sports, more audiences, more venues, more commercial pressure and a greater need to organise calendars without losing the athlete experience or clarity for the public.
The Olympic programme and the future that remains open
Brisbane 2032 shows that the most sensitive decisions do not end in Los Angeles. The Queensland Government already has its Delivery Plan in place, venue and procurement processes are moving forward, and the Organising Committee is in discussions with the IOC and the federations on the initial sports programme, expected in late 2026 or early 2027. Further milestones are also expected on sustainability, commercial announcements, emblems and athlete participation through an Athlete and Sport Advisory Group. Each of these steps will open new negotiations over which sports are included, which venues are used, how much it costs to organise and how legacy is justified.
The Assembly also received IOC updates within the “Fit for the Future” process, as well as reports from the World Anti-Doping Agency -WADA- and the International Testing Agency -ITA- on anti-doping and collaboration with federations. The meeting left a clear picture of the Coventry era: federations want more influence, the IOC needs transparency to review the programme, governance will remain under examination and the next Games will force decisions on size, cost, technology, integrity, athletes and legitimacy. “If you are not strong and striving, neither are we,” Coventry told the federations. The phrase sums up the new balance she will have to build: a more collective Olympic Movement, but also one more demanding of itself.
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