World Aquatics has been ranked among the leading International Federations in world sport, achieving Group A1 status in the Sixth Review of International Federation Governance published today by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The ASOIF report also provided context for the improvement: “The increase in score from 2023-24 to 2025-26 is 24, which is the highest among all IFs and significantly more than the average increase of around 10.”
The ASOIF Governance Review is the most established benchmark for governance standards across the Olympic Movement. Conducted by ASOIF's Governance Task Force, it assesses all summer Olympic International Federations against a framework spanning transparency, integrity, democracy, development and solidarity, and control mechanisms, with the aim of promoting a culture of good governance and driving continuous improvement across sport.
For World Aquatics, the A1 placement caps a significant climb from Group C in the 2019-2020 review, to A2 in 2024, and now into the top category in 2026.
The progress reflects an extensive programme of reform that began in 2021 to strengthen accountability, transparency and athlete protection across the organisation. Among the key developments have been the creation of the independent Aquatics Integrity Unit, the adoption of a new Integrity Code, the establishment of a comprehensive sustainability strategy, significant constitutional reform, strengthened safeguarding measures, fuller financial transparency, and continued progress on gender equity and athlete representation.
World Aquatics President Husain Al Musallam said the result reflected the trust the organisation had worked to earn across the aquatics community.
He stated; “When I was elected in 2021, we said that governance would not be a box-ticking exercise. We set out to build an organisation that athletes, Member Federations and partners could rely on, and that meant being willing to change how we worked.”
He added, “Reaching A1 is a credit to the many people across our sport who have driven this over the past five years. We have strengthened our structures, brought genuine independence to key areas, opened up our finances, and placed athlete welfare and integrity at the centre of how we make decisions.
“We are really proud of this A1 rating, but this is recognition, not the finish line. Good governance is something we need to, and will continue to, practice every day - by listening, by being accountable, and by always looking for what can be done better. That is the standard we intend to keep.”
Chair of the Supervisory Council for the Aquatics Integrity Unit (AQIU), Miguel Cardenal, added;
“World Aquatics has made significant progress since 2021, and reaching A1 in this ASOIF Governance Review is a clear marker of how far the organisation has come in that time. The AQIU will continue to assist World Aquatics in maintaining the highest standards of integrity, governance and accountability across the sport”.
The recognition confirms World Aquatics' standing among the best-governed International Federations and underlines its commitment to the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability across aquatic sport worldwide.