ICTSG has developed the SRETS (Strategic Registration and Elevation of Traditional Sports) Framework -a six-stage strategy designed to guide traditional sports from grassroots community practice to formal international recognition.

STAGE 1: IDENTIFICATION AND DOCUMENTATION A sport is identified; its rules, history, cultural context, and community practice are documented by ICTSG field researchers and added to the Online Encyclopedia with a full cultural profile.

STAGE 2: COMMUNITY VALIDATION The sport's governing community formally endorses the documentation and designates representatives to engage with national sports authorities.

STAGE 3: NATIONAL RECOGNITION ICTSG works with national governments and sports ministries to secure official recognition of the sport at the national level -including funding, competition structures, and educational integration.

STAGE 4: REGIONAL ENDORSEMENT The sport gains recognition from ICTSG's continental body for its region. Continental championships may be established.

STAGE 5: INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION Cross-border competition frameworks are established. The sport joins the ICTSG World Games calendar and begins engagement with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and related bodies.

STAGE 6: HERITAGE STATUS AND LONG-TERM PRESERVATION The sport achieves formal listing as Intangible Cultural Heritage with UNESCO, securing legal and institutional protections that ensure its survival regardless of political or cultural shifts.