📘 Institutional Definitions and Framework of ICTSG The International Council of Traditional Sports and Games (ICTSG) is the leading international body committed to the preservation, elevation, and visibility of traditional and indigenous sports globally. To ensure alignment, clarity, and consistency, ICTSG maintains standardized definitions and an institutional framework that are globally adopted and recognized.

📜 Official Definition (ICTSG) “Traditional sports and games are motor activities of leisure and recreation which can have a ritual character. They are part of the universal heritage diversity. They are practiced in an individual or collective manner, deriving from regional or local identity; they are based on rules accepted by a group that organizes competitive or non-competitive activities. Traditional sport and games dispose of a popular character in their practice and in their organization, yet if turned into sport tend to be uniform and institutionalized. The practice of traditional and games promotes global health.” Clarification: The term "motor activities" used of leisure emcompass recreational activities refers to involve physical movements and expressions rooted in tradition and pursued for enjoyment and relaxation—not mechanical processes. This phrasing aligns with UNESCO’s heritage documentation acknowledging traditional sports as embodied practices involving physical movement.

🔺 The 6 Elevation Stages of ICTSG

Stage Code Pronunciation Origin Meaning Expanded Form

Stage 1 SEWEN See-win Old English / Scandinavian “Sewn” – to bind or stitch tradition Safeguarding Endangered Wisdom of Ethnic Nations

Stage 2 LAAIB Laa-eeb Arabic لاعب – player or one who plays Local Ancestral Activities & Indigenous Base

Stage 3 TRINA Tree-nah Latin / Pan-European “Trina” – triple/folded heritage Tradition Recognized with Indigenous National Affirmation

Stage 4 REUNA Rey-oo-nah Finnish “Reuna” – institutional edge or boundary Registered Entities with Unified National Affiliation

Stage 5 KIZUN Kee-zun Japanese 絆 – bond, cultural unity Knowledge Integration for Zones of Unified Nations

Stage 6 SOLAY So-lay French / Spanish Soleil/Sol – sun, global beacon Safeguarded Original Legacy as Acknowledged Yield

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🏅 Membership Types and Access ICTSG offers structured pathways for joining, based on institutional, academic, and individual affiliations:

Group A – National Ministries Group B – Academic and Research Institutions Group C – Sports and Cultural Federations Group D – Indigenous and Tribal Bodies Group E – Independent Practitioners and Experts Group F – Youth, Students, and Volunteers

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📚 Glossary of Key ICTSG Terms Indigenous: Communities or practices originating from and sustained by native, tribal, or aboriginal groups with historical continuity in a region. Often passed down through oral tradition, practice, and environment-sensitive knowledge. Endangered (in ICTSG context): Refers to sports or games that are at risk of extinction due to loss of practitioners, modernization, lack of recognition, or forced displacement of cultural practices. Motor Activity: ICTSG adopts the term in alignment with UNESCO to mean physical movement involving bodily motion of leisure emcompass recreational activities pursued for enjoyment and relaxation. This includes walking, climbing, throwing, striking, running—expressed through heritage play and traditional sport. Cultural Identity: The collective shared practices, symbols, and meanings through which a group expresses its social belonging and legacy—often rooted in historical, ritualistic, or spiritual norms. Institutionalization: The process of formalizing and registering traditional games into systems recognized by national, international, or academic frameworks without altering their core identity.

🌍 Why These Definitions Matter

Aligns governments, cultural organizations, and educators globally Helps register, revive, and safeguard endangered traditions Supports intergovernmental collaborations and SDG-based policy design Empowers youth, women, and indigenous voices through clarity of identity

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About ICTSG: ICTSG is committed to safeguarding, elevating, and promoting traditional and indigenous sports globally. Through institutional frameworks, inclusive governance, and collaboration, ICTSG connects communities with their heritage.