ABSTRACT
While the IOC owns the rights for the Olympic Games, the International Federations (IFs) govern the sports that are contested at the event. Therefore, understanding the relationship between the IOC and IFs is imperative for developing a more holistic understanding of the governance system of the Olympic movement. Thus, the focus of this chapter is on breaking down the relationship between the IOC and IFs. More specifically, we present the current status and the historical development of the relationship between the organizations. Furthermore, existing research on the topic will be reviewed in addition to the provision of potential future research directions that seek to better understand the dynamics of the relationship between the two key actors. By doing so, this chapter provides a broad picture of the past history, current environment, and future development of the relationship between the IOC and IFs.
