Raffaele Chiulli Re-elected as President of ARISF in the Olympic Capital
We are pleased to announce the newly elected ARISF Executive Board, chosen today by the ARISF General Assembly.
President
We are honoured to confirm the re-election of Dr Raffaele Chiulli as President of ARISF. Dr Chiulli also serves as President of the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), recently re-elected until 2029.
He earned a Doctor of Sciences (honours) from the University of Rome and postgraduate training at Duke University (USA), INSEAD (France) and IMD (Switzerland).
He speaks Italian (native), English, French and Spanish.
Dr Chiulli has a distinguished background in sports administration. He is also a member of the IOC Sustainability and Legacy Commission, chaired by H.S.H. Prince Albert of Monaco. His previous international leadership roles include the presidencies of GAISF and SportAccord (2019–2021) and membership in the IOC Sport and Active Society Commission (2014–2022).
Beyond sport, Dr Chiulli is Chair of SAFE, Centre of Excellence for Energy and Environment and has held senior executive roles in multinational energy companies. He has lectured at universities and authored over fifty publications. His achievements have been recognised with numerous national and international honours, including the Knight of Merit of the Italian Republic, conferred by the President of the Republic, the Vermillion Medal for Education and Sport, awarded by H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco; the Gold Star for Sporting Merit, given by the President of the Italian Olympic Committee; the Diploma for the Development and Promotion of Sport, presented by the President of the International Olympic Committee; and several honorary doctorates in sport, law, and engineering.
Under his leadership since 2013, ARISF has grown into a stronger, more collaborative and credible organisation, capable of effectively promoting its Members and advocating for them.
At the Assembly, the full membership applauded Dr Chiulli’s leadership and expressed strong support for moving ahead together under his vision. President Chiulli expressed his gratitude, stating:
“With your trust and support, we will continue to build an organisation that promotes excellence, and fosters a future of cooperation and shared success.”
He also thanked the Assembly for their confidence, emphasised the collective efforts of all Members, and looks forward to leading ARISF for a new three-year mandate.
We also had the pleasure to welcome IOC President Mrs. Kirsty Coventry, to address the ARISF General Assembly. We would like to thank her for her presence and positive message she shared with the ARISF Members.
Vice-President
We are delighted to announce the election of Mr John Liljelund as Vice-President of ARISF. Mr Liljelund has served as Secretary General of the International Floorball Federation (IFF) since 2005, helping ensure the continued growth and development of floorball.
He has 30 years of experience as a floorball coach and player, including playing at elite level in Finland and Sweden for 18 years and holding coaching roles for national teams and won two women’s World Floorball Champions (WFC) and one U19 Men WFC for Finland.
He is a past ARISF Executive Board Member and the General Assembly is pleased to welcome him into his new role as Vice-President, and we extend our best wishes for his success in this new position.
Secretary General
The position of Secretary General has been reaffirmed with the re-election of Mr Riccardo Fraccari, President of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC).
Mr Fraccari has served the international sports movement since 2013 within ARISF and brings to the role immense experience in sport organisation. Formerly held the presidency of the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) from 2009 to 2013. Instrumental in merging international baseball and softball, leading to the establishment of the WBSC in October 2012, facilitating their return to the Olympic Games. Elected as the inaugural President of the WBSC in May 2014.Actively involved in other executive boards in world sport, including his role as the Secretary General of ARISF. Riccardo Fraccari is part of SportAccord Executive Committee as treasurer and representative of ARISF. Additionally, Riccardo Fraccari is member of the IOC Esports Commission and member of the SportAccord Remuneration Commission. Mr Fraccari has served the international sports movement since 2013 within ARISF and brings to the role immense experience in sport organisation.
Prior to his full-time sport leadership roles, he was a chemistry teacher at the Technical Institute of Livorno and holds legal education from the University of Pisa. He has held significant leadership roles in advancing baseball and softball globally, including orchestrating their return to the Olympic Games.
ARISF is honoured to welcome him for this new term as Secretary General, confident that his vision will further strengthen our organisation.
Executive Board Members
We are also pleased to welcome the following distinguished individuals to the ARISF Executive Board:
Mrs Zena Wooldridge, President of the World Squash Federation (WSF). Mrs Wooldridge has extensive leadership experience: she served as President of the European Squash Federation between 2013-2019, was Director of Sport at the University of Birmingham from 2003-2020 and Vice President of England Squash. With squash set to feature at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, ARISF is honoured to have her among our Executive Board members.
Mr Robert “Nob” Rauch, President of the World Flying Disc Federation (WFDF). He has held leadership positions in flying disc sports since the late 1980s and competed as an athlete from 1976–1994. His background includes a distinguished 43-year career in finance and investment banking, and he holds advanced academic credentials. We look forward to benefitting from his expertise in governance, sport management and global outreach.
Mrs Anna Arzhanova, former Vice-President of ARISF, now serving as an Executive Board Member. Since 2013 she has served as President of the World Underwater Sports Federation (CMAS). She has been a Vice President of ARISF since 2017 and a Council Member since 2015 and serves on the Executive Committee of SportAccord since 2023 as the ARISF Representative. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with her.
We extend our congratulations to each member of the Board and thank all ARISF Members for their support and confidence.
