IBSF — International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation

What is the IBSF?

The International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) is the international federation for bobsleigh and skeleton, two of the three sliding sports. Article 1 of its statutes describes it as “the religiously and politically neutral international non-governmental organisation administering the sports of Bobsleigh (including Bob-on-the-Road) and Skeleton”.^[1] Its about page calls it “the international organization that administers the sports of bobsleigh and skeleton”.^[2]

Legally, the statutes constitute the IBSF as “a civil association founded for an unlimited period of time having its own legal identity in accordance with Article 60 of the Swiss Civil Code”. The current edition was “Approved by Congress on 12 September 2025 to be in force from 01 July 2026”.^[1]

The third sliding sport, luge, is governed by a separate body, the FIL. The IBSF’s disciplines, as its about page lists them, are women’s monobob, two-woman bobsleigh, two-man and four-man bobsleigh, and men’s and women’s skeleton on the Olympic programme, with a skeleton mixed team event added in 2026; monobob and skeleton for young athletes at the Youth Olympic Games; and para bobsleigh, which the federation has run since 2012.^[2] At its Congress in Salzburg in June 2026 the federation elected Heike Größwang of Germany as president; the IBSF reported that she “becomes the sixth and first female president of IBSF”, succeeding Ivo Ferriani, president from 2010 to 2026.^[12]

What does the IBSF govern?

The IBSF writes the sports’ rules. Its downloads page publishes the International Bobsleigh Rules and International Skeleton Rules in 2025 editions, the International Para Bobsleigh Rules (2024) and the International Para Skeleton Rules (2018), alongside a Code of Ethics (2025) and an Appeals Tribunal Code (2018).^[5] Article 3.1 of the statutes sets its purpose: “To promote and develop the sports of Bobsleigh and Skeleton at all levels throughout the world and to supervise and direct all their activities at the international level”.^[1] See equipment regulation.

On anti-doping, Article 7.7 provides that “The IBSF, all of its Members, officials, coaches and athletes must adhere to the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC)”.^[1] The federation publishes IBSF Anti-Doping Rules (2021 edition), states that since March 2020 it has delegated the implementation of most aspects of its anti-doping programme to the International Testing Agency, and states that it cooperates with the CAS Anti-Doping Division on rule-violation cases.^[5][6] See anti-doping.

Disputes end at the Court of Arbitration for Sport: under Article 18.4, decisions of the IBSF Appeals Tribunal “may only be challenged by way of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland (CAS)”.^[1] See Court of Arbitration for Sport.

When was the IBSF founded and where is it based?

The statutes record that the IBSF, “originally the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT), was founded in Paris on the 23rd November 1923, by the delegates of Great Britain, France and Switzerland and the representatives of Canada and the United States”.^[1] Its about page gives the same date, place and founding countries.^[2] Olympedia, an independent Olympic-history database, gives the same date and place and the same founding delegations.^[3]

The federation took its present name in 2015. Its about page dates the change from FIBT to IBSF to 2015 and explains that “The old name was seen as an obstacle for the marketing of skeleton.”^[2] Olympedia places the renaming at the federation’s 2015 congress in Ghent, Belgium.^[3] Founding (1923) and renaming (2015) are separate facts; the body is the same.

The seat is set by Article 2.1 of the statutes: the IBSF “is under the jurisdiction of Switzerland and the location of its legal residence is Lausanne, Canton of Vaud”.^[1] Olympedia also gives Lausanne as the headquarters.^[3] Olympedia lists six presidents from 1923 onward, beginning with Renaud, Comte de la Frégeolière of France (1923–1960).^[3]

How is the IBSF recognised?

IOC. The IBSF’s about page states: “The IBSF is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).”^[2] Article 1.5 of the statutes states that the IBSF cooperates with the IOC and the IPC and that it “recognises and observes the Olympic Charter”.^[1] No date for the IOC’s recognition of the federation appears in the statutes, the about page or Olympedia’s organisation page, so the recognition year could not be established from a retrieved source. The sport’s Olympic history is dated separately: the IBSF records that a four-man race was held at the first Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924 and that the IOC added women’s bobsleigh in October 1999 for Salt Lake City 2002; Olympedia records women’s monobob from Beijing 2022.^[13][4]

IPC. Olympedia reports that the International Paralympic Committee “granted the IBSF the status of IPC-recognized international federation” for para bobsleigh and para skeleton.^[3] See IPC.

WADA. The World Anti-Doping Agency lists the “International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation (IBSF)” as a Code signatory in its category “WOF members (Winter Olympic Federations)”.^[7]

Russian athletes. The IBSF’s criteria document dated 22 October 2025, issued following a decision of the IBSF Appeals Tribunal of 19 October 2025, sets the conditions under which Russian passport holders may take part in IBSF events as individual neutral athletes, among them background checks, no affiliation with the Russian military, no national flags or anthems, and exclusion from team competitions including two-man, two-woman and four-man bobsleigh.^[11] See national suspensions and neutral athletes.

What does the IBSF organise?

The IBSF runs the World Championships in bobsleigh and skeleton, a World Cup circuit, and para sport world championships. See IBSF World Championships.^[5]

The most recent completed World Championships were held in Lake Placid, United States, closing on 15 March 2025. The IBSF reported that “Over 300 athletes from a record of 38 nations competed in all seven disciplines”, the seven that were to be staged at Milano Cortina 2026.^[9] The same release scheduled the Olympic-season World Cup to open on 17 November 2025 at the Eugenio Monti Sliding Track in Cortina d’Ampezzo, the venue of the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games bobsleigh and skeleton events.^[9]

The next edition is scheduled for Lillehammer, Norway: the IBSF’s schedule for the “IBSF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2027” and the “IBSF PARA SPORT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2027” runs from 14 to 28 February 2027, with men’s and women’s skeleton and a mixed team skeleton event, women’s monobob, two-woman, two-man and four-man bobsleigh, and para bobsleigh.^[10]

Between championships the federation publishes a World Cup calendar for bobsleigh and skeleton; its 2026–27 edition is on its downloads page with the overall IBSF calendar.^[5] For young athletes, the IBSF’s bobsleigh page records that the Youth Olympic Games in Lillehammer were “the first official event held using the mono bob”.^[13] See Youth Olympic Games.

Who are its members?

The IBSF’s national federations page states that it “currently comprises THE FOLLOWING 74 national federations”, listed alphabetically by country without continental groupings.^[8] Olympedia independently records that “As of January 2026, the IBSF has 74 national federations as members”.^[3] The list gives each member’s year of admission; the Bobsleigh Federation of Russia, for example, is shown as a member since 1980.^[8]

The statutes set two membership categories, “Members” and “Honorary Members”, and a one-per-country rule: “There can be only one Member of the IBSF per Nation”.^[1] The members meet in Congress; at the June 2026 Congress in Salzburg, Heike Größwang was elected with 27 votes out of a possible 45 in the first round, the IBSF reported.^[12]

Members field the athletes who enter the World Cup and the World Championships; at Lake Placid 2025 the entry came from 38 nations, and medallists from six.^[9] See national-team selection.