International Snowboard Federation

The International Snowboard Federation was a body organised to run snowboarding competition.

International Snowboard Federation
SportSnowboarding
JurisdictionInternational
AbbreviationISF (originally ISA)
Founded1989 (1989)
HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
Closure date22 June 2002 (2002-06-22)

The International Snowboard Association (ISA) was founded in 1989 and changed its name to the International Snowboard Federation (ISF) in 1991.[1][2] Five nations and 120 racers established the Vancouver-based organisation.[3] It sought to bring the world's best competitors together to test their skills in an environment which embraced competitiveness, but stressed the idea of having fun. The ISF eventually attracted riders of varying ages and abilities, which allowed one-time rising stars such as Terje Håkonsen, Daniel Franck and Danny Kass to sharpen their skills at an early age on their way to joining the professional ranks. The ISF set the standard for snowboarding competition, which contributed to the development of it as an Olympic sport in the 1998 Winter Olympics.

In a controversial move, the International Olympic Committee recognized the International Ski Federation (FIS) as the sport's official governing body.[4] Three-time world champion Terje Håkonsen boycotted the Olympics as a result of the FIS being appointed to oversee the officiating. Other riders followed in Håkonsen's footsteps and concluded FIS rules to be inappropriate for snowboarding. The FIS has maintained its control over the Olympics, giving credence to the position that snowboarding is a discipline of skiing and not its own, individual sport.

Although the ISF continued to represent snowboarding on an international level, it began to lose influence, sponsors and finances to the FIS, and ceased operations on 22 June 2002.[3] Later that year, the World Snowboard Federation (WSF) was formed.[5] Twenty years later, FIS changed their official full name to the International Ski and Snowboard Federation.[6]

Former members

References
  1. "Snowboard History". CBC Sports. 1 December 2009. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023. The first official snowboard competition was held in Leadville, Col., in 1981. The International Snowboard Association (ISA), the sport's original governing body, was founded eight years later, and in 1991 transformed into the International Snowboard Federation.
  2. Watson, Stephanie (5 May 2008). "How Snowboarding Works". HowStuffWorks. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023. Snowboarding got its own governing organization in 1989, when the International Snowboard Association (ISA) was founded. The ISA changed its name to the International Snowboard Federation (ISF) in 1991, and two years later, the ISF held its first World Championships.
  3. "ISF Folds Operations". Natives.co.uk. 5 July 2002. Archived from the original on 11 January 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2010. The International Snowboard Federation. Founded by five nations and 120 racers in 1989, the Vancouver based ISF helped develop and grow the sport of snowboarding. When snowboarding became an Olympic sport for the 1998 Winter Games in Japan, the International Olympic Committee recognized the FIS as the sport's official governing body.
  4. "How snowboarding became a marquee event at the Winter Olympics – but lost some of its cool factor in the process". The Conversation. 1 February 2022. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) first included snowboarding in the 1998 Winter Olympics, but under the governance of the International Ski Federation (FIS) rather than the International Snowboard Federation.
  5. Palmer, Dan (11 February 2019). "International Ski Federation and World Snowboard Federation sign historic unification agreement". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023. Snowboard made its Winter Olympic debut at Nagano 1998 but who governs the sport has in the past proved controversial. The International Olympic Committee entrusted the FIS which some felt was encroachment into the territory of the then-existing International Snowboard Federation (ISF). In 2002 the ISF ceased operations with the WSF forming later that year.
  6. Roepke, Michele (8 June 2022). "FIS gets a new name, hint: snowboard starts with "S" too". TownLift.com. Park City News. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.


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