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| Formation | March 18, 1982 |
|---|---|
| Type | Sports federation |
| Headquarters | Tokyo, Japan |
| Membership | List of Go organizations |
| Official language | English |
| President | Seokhyun Hong |
The International Go Federation (IGF) is an international organization that connects the various national Go federations around the world.
The role of the IGF is to promote the sport of Go throughout the world, promote amicable relations among members and improve world go organization. It does so by carrying out the following activities:
The IGF is an apolitical and non-religious organization, and strives to promote fair play amongst all players.
The Japan Go Association organized the first World Go Amateur Championship in Japan, in 1979. Many of the top Go players from around the world and representatives from the major National Go Associations attended the event. Its success led to the founding of the International Go Federation on March 18, 1982, with Shizuo Asada presiding over the original 29 founding members.
On April 7, 2006, the IGF became a member of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF).
The IGF is a founding member of the IMSA (International Mind Sports Association).
The IGF organizes the yearly World Amateur Go Championship, which attracts over 65 countries.
As of December 2015 the IGF has 75 member nations: 37 in Europe, 18 in Asia, 15 in the Americas, 3 in Africa and 2 in Oceania. It also has four Association Members, which cover multiple countries: the World Pair Go Association, the Federación Iberoamericana de Go, the European Go Federation and the Ing Changki Wei-Chi Education Foundation.