The joyful spirit

The International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA) is an organisation bringing together sport, culture and youth organisations from across the globe. ISCA believes that international activities such as festivals, exchanges and sports tournaments are an unrivalled means of creating international understanding, and that everyone should be given the chance to participate. We call this:

 

Sport and Culture for All

ISCA’s philosophy is that sport is not just about competition and exercise, but also involves having a good time and making friends. Moreover, sport regulates social behaviour and creates a feeling of belonging – which in turn leads to a strengthening of democracy.

 

ISCA was created in 1995 with the purpose of:

   - supporting cross-border understanding through sport and culture

   - promoting sport as a bearer of cultural identity

   - encouraging the broadest possible participation in sports and cultural activities for affiliated members

 

Key Areas

To fulfil these objectives, ISCA concentrates on three key areas - activities, education and policy-making. As well as promoting events and educational programmes, ISCA takes a full role in the public debate on sport and culture and strives to influence policies in these areas. Overall, ISCA endeavours to improve the general health and well being of individuals in society.

 

History and Organisation

Created with the aim of providing an alternative to the increasingly performance-based attitude of the international sports federations, ISCA has grown rapidly since its foundation in 1995. Today, the organisation has more than 130 affiliated member organisations (primarily non-governmental) in four continents and more than 22 million individual members. The association is governed by an executive committee of seven elected members and is steered by continental and technical committees. The secretariat is based in Copenhagen