By sportswriter Shan Lei
GENEVA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of international federations will gather in Lausanne next week for the 2026 SportAccord Forum, with the changing global events landscape, technology and the future of hosting among the key issues on the agenda, SportAccord Managing Director Kelly Fairweather said Monday.
The forum, to be held from October 5-7 at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, will take place under the theme "When the Playbook Changes: Leading Sport in a New Reality."
"This year's theme, 'When the Playbook Changes: Leading Sport in a New Reality,' reflects the range of pressures federations are navigating at once," Fairweather said.
"The program looks at economic and geopolitical change, the international events market, how sports reach and retain participants, and decisions about technology and data. These issues affect federations in different ways, but all require leaders to make choices about where to focus their resources."
Topics listed by SportAccord include new ways to grow sport, technology decisions facing sports organizations, changes in the global events landscape and the future of hosting.
"We start with the decisions facing international federations and ask where a conversation with peers and specialists would be most useful," Fairweather said. "That keeps the program focused on practical questions rather than trends for their own sake."
International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry is scheduled to deliver the opening address.
"We are delighted that IOC President Kirsty Coventry will open this year's forum," Fairweather said. "Her address, alongside contributions from IOC leadership and future Olympic hosts, will be an important part of the conversation."
The forum aims to bring international federation leaders together to share experiences, discuss ideas and build relationships.
"Whether a federation is large or small, many of the decisions it faces are similar: how to grow participation, strengthen its finances, use technology well and develop the right events strategy," Fairweather said. "Hearing how others approach those choices can help leaders find a way forward."
This year's event will also feature a new SportAccord City Forum session, designed to bring city representatives and sports leaders together to discuss the opportunities and impact of hosting major events.
"No federation delivers its sport alone," Fairweather said. "It needs cities and regions to host events, commercial partners to help make them viable, and service providers with the expertise to deliver them. Those organizations, in turn, need to understand what federations are trying to achieve." ■
