GAISF and ANOC sign landmark partnership agreement on future of World Beach Games

	GAISF and ANOC sign landmark partnership agreement on future of World Beach Games
	19/04/2018 07:49
	April 17, 2018, Bangkok, Thailand The Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) have signed a landmark partnership agreement covering the organisation of editions of the World Beach Games after 2019.
The deal is said to recognise ANOC’s important efforts in launching the World Beach Games and GAISF’s critical role in multi-sport Games. insidethegames reported last week that International Sports Federations are due to play a more direct role in the organisation of the ANOC World Beach Games from 2021. This was agreed in principle following a meeting in Kuwait between ANOC President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah and GAISF counterpart Patrick Baumann. Baumann and Sheikh Ahmad officially signed the agreement here today at SportAccord Summit in the presence of International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach. Under its terms, ANOC and GAISF will form a 50-50 partnership to run the World Beach Games through a jointly-held event company registered in Switzerland. Respecting each other’s roles and responsibilities within the Olympic Movement, a Board consisting of equal numbers of GAISF and ANOC representatives will run the company with a Presidency which will rotate between the two stakeholders. ANOC will lead the company during the first four-year term and GAISF will propose the company’s managing director. The World Beach Games is scheduled to be held every two years following the inaugural edition being organised by ANOC in San Diego in 2019. The sport programme will be determined in agreement with the IOC and in principle, no Olympic events will be included in future Beach Games. "We are delighted to have reached this agreement to work in partnership with ANOC to ensure a bright future for the World Beach Games," Baumann said. "Beach sports continue to grow in popularity and prominence and the partnership will ensure that GAISF continues to fulfil its role of providing showcase events for our Member Federations, promoting new disciplines and bringing the expertise from all International Federations (IFs) to the table." The idea came out of the success of the Asian Beach Games, first held in Bali in Indonesia in 2008. Sports due to appear in San Diego include 3x3 basketball, BMX freestyle, beach handball and a karate beach kata event, along with the surfing disciplines stand-up paddle and shortboard. A park terrain skateboarding event is also set to feature, along with beach soccer, open water swimming, aquathlon, beach tennis and a 4x4 beach volleyball competition. (Insidethegames.biz)