International sport associations with headquarter in Switzerland

As a basic principle, international sports organisations are divided into international federations (IFs) and umbrella organisations, which are responsible, broadly speaking, for ensuring the functioning and development of their sport.
Umbrella organisations work to ensure that Olympic values are upheld during sporting activities. They include, for example, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International University Sports Federation (FISU), both of which are based in Lausanne.
International federations are primarily responsible for organising and developing their particular sport. To put it one way, they are the umbrella organisation for their sport and they manage the disciplines at an international level. During the Olympics or other events put on by international umbrella organisations, they are responsible for the technical management and monitoring of their discipline. Their other tasks include applying a uniform set of regulations in order to standardise competitions, driving forward development and expanding the practice of their sport worldwide. An international federation is a non-profit organisation that is subject to the law of the country in which its headquarters are based.
There are also other institutions, such as the international Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), which are not directly a sports organisation but contribute to upholding the credibility and autonomy of the sport.
Many international sports organisations choose to have their headquarters in Switzerland thanks to its major benefits as a location and its attractive political conditions (e.g. special tax status).

A selection of international sports organisations based in Switzerland:

• International Olympic Committee (IOC)
  The IOC is the highest authority of the Olympic Movement. It acts as the intermediary between all parties of the Olympic family, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs) and media partners. The IOC’s main task is to ensure that the Olympic Games go ahead every four years. As of 2015, the IOC had 205 member states – more than are in the UN – and its headquarters have been in Lausanne for more than one hundred years. The IOC operates as a non-profit association in Switzerland.
• Fédération Internationale de Natation (FINA)
  The world swimming federation was founded in London in 1908 and has since moved its headquarters to Lausanne. FINA has 202 national members and is responsible for six different disciplines, including five that feature in the Olympics. The World Aquatics Championships organised by FINA are held every two years.
• International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)
  The world gymnastics federation was founded in 1881 and was the first ever international sports association. Its headquarters are also in Lausanne and it has 135 member federations. The FIG covers six disciplines: gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampolining, aerobic gymnastics and acrobatic gymnastics.
• Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
  All 179 national cycling federations belong to the UCI, which has been based in Aigle in the canton of Vaud since 2002.
• International Boxing Association (AIBA)
  196 national Member Federations belong to AIBA. It was founded in 1946 as the successor to the Fédération Internationale de Boxe Amateur with the aim of reflecting the philosophy of the world boxing federation. AIBA athletes will be competing at the Olympics for the first time in Rio de Janeiro in summer 2016.
• Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA)
  FIFA was founded in Paris in 1904 and moved its headquarters to Zurich in 1932. It is now the most financially powerful international sports association, with some 90% of its total revenue stemming from income generated by tournaments and television rights. At FIFA’s request, the football tournament at the Summer Olympics is only open to teams of players under a certain age limit, so that it does not compete with any of FIFA’s own tournaments.
• Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
  The European football federation was founded in Basel in 1954 and is based in Nyon. UEFA is one of six continental confederations belonging to FIFA. It comprises 55 member federations, although not all of them lie within Europe’s geographical borders. The most famous competitions organised by UEFA are the Champions League, the Europa League and the European Championship.
• International Ski Federation (FIS)
  The FIS was founded in Chamonix in 1924 and now has a membership of 124 national federations. Its headquarters are in Oberhofen am Thunersee. The FIS covers several Olympic disciplines, such as Alpine skiing, ski jumping, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined, freestyle skiing and snowboarding, as well as some disciplines that do not feature in the Olympics. Notably, the sports covered by the FIS have won more medals than any other. Half of the 294 medals awarded at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi were won in FIS disciplines.