International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities

The International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities (IAKS, from its original German name, Internationaler Arbeitskreis Sportstättenbau) is a non-profit organization devoted to sports buildings and leisure centres. The IAKS was founded in Cologne in 1965. It is the only non-profit organization concerned globally with the subject of sports facility development and has therefore been awarded the status of Recognized Organization by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IAKS has about 1,000 members in a current 110 countries with seven sections worldwide. These are Germany, Japan, Latin America/Caribbean, Poland, Russia, Switzerland and Spain (status 2016). Activities The IAKS cooperates not only with the IOC, but also with the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), SportAccord, the International Council for Sports Science and Physical Education (ICSSPE) and the International Union of Architects (UIA), Sports and Leisure Programme. It also cultivates contacts with international sports federations and National Olympic Committees and has been included by the United Nations in its list of consultative NGOs of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).