Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and International School Sport Federation (ISF) Team Up to Host Global Events for Youth

ORLANDO, Fla. (January 25, 2023) - The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and International School Sport Federation (ISF) are proud to announce a new collaboration with the intent to  establish a global multi-sports event program for youth annually.

The two entities are exploring a collaboration that will see ISF and AAU work together to host  events for athletes under the age of 15 years old from across the globe. The goal is to start  hosting events sometime in 2024 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

ISF, based in Belgium, is an international non-profit sport organization recognized by the  International Olympic Committee (IOC) to organize world school championships for youth ages  6 to 18 years old. The organization’s mission is to promote among young people mutual  understanding, volunteerism, empowerment, peace, non-discrimination, healthy lifestyles,  social inclusion, and gender equality. ISF currently consists of 132 member countries from five  (5) continents including countries from Africa, Europe, Oceania, America and Asia.

“ISF and AAU will combine our extensive youth sports expertise to put on unique events for international athletes that foster an Olympic spirit,” said J.B. (Jo) Mirza, AAU President.  “Orlando, the home of AAU, provides an enticing location to host these events. As the most  visited destination in the United States, there are plenty of activities and attractions for athletes  and their families to enjoy.”

AAU and ISF are committed to an initial objective of 5,000 to 10,000 athletes participating in the inaugural year of the program. The organizations will work to create an unparalleled event experience that promotes physical fitness, offers competitive opportunities, and provides a  cultural experience for athletes, parents, and volunteers to foster a new camaraderie with  people from numerous countries.

“The collaboration between AAU and ISF is a unique opportunity to share expertise and to  combine efforts for global youth sport promotion and strengthening Olympics values,” said  Laurent Petrynka, ISF President.

Founded in 1972, The international School Sport Federation (ISF) is an international non-profit  sport organization, acting as the umbrella organization and governing body for national school  sport organizations around the world, organized sport, and educational events for youth from 6  to 18 years old.

Recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) since 1995, the ISF currently consists  of 132 members all over the five continents organizing over 10 events per year and has more  than 30 different sports included in its competition. The key vision of ISF is a world where sport  and education provide opportunities for all students to empower themselves and to become  active citizens and to foster healthier communities.

For more information: https://www.isfsports.org

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is one of the largest, non-profit, volunteer sports  organizations in the United States. As a multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated  exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports programs. Founded in 1888 to  establish standards and uniformity in sports, the AAU philosophy of “Sports For All, Forever” is  now shared by more than 720,000 members and 150,000 volunteers across 45 sports  programs. The largest sport in the AAU, volleyball, has approximately 230,000 members  annually. Other AAU sports programs include basketball, track and field, wrestling, swimming,  diving, football, gymnastics, karate, taekwondo, and hockey.

For more visit: www.aausports.org.