Sports governing body

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A sports governing body is a sports organization that has a "regulatory" or "sanctioning" function. This normally means it manages a sport, sets the rules, helps clubs and runs competitions.

Sports governing bodies come in lots of forms and can have different jobs. This can include setting the rules for the sport that they govern, and giving punishments for breaking the rules. Some governing bodies manage lots of sports at an international level, such as the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, or only one sport at a national level, such as the Rugby Football League. National bodies will normally work with the international bodies for the same sport.