International Aikido Federation

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The International Aikido Federation ( IAF ) is the only global Aikido umbrella organization. She is closely associated with the Aikikai Honbu Dōjō and the Ueshiba family.

Members of the IAF can only become national aikidō associations that are recognized by the Honbu Dōjō. However, only one organization per country can become a member of the IAF. Therefore, of the 53 associations currently recognized by the Honbu Dōjō, only 43 are members of the IAF.

The task of this association is the maintenance and development of Aikidō in the sense of Ueshiba Morihei . For this reason, the Dōshū (Guide of the Way) of the Honbu Dōjō is also the President of the IAF. In order to achieve the goals of the association, an international congress is held regularly, at which the official representatives of the IAF are also elected.

An important aspect of these congresses are the international courses in aikidō that are held on this occasion and are open to all aikidōka, even if they are not members of the IAF. The courses are always held by various high-ranking Shihan (teachers) of the Honbu Dōjō or its international representatives.

History of the IAF

The IAF was founded in 1975 and the first international congress was held in 1976 . In 1984 the IAF became a member of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and the International World Games Association (IWGA). This international recognition was important for the association because it made Aikidō part of the World Games and can present itself in an international context. Through this international recognition, the IAF also contributes a lot to the communication between the national associations and supports national associations in working with the government of their country

Since 1989 in Karlsruhe , Aikidō has regularly participated in the World Games.

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