GAISF President Ivo Ferriani announced the move at the organisation’s virtual General Assembly where he addressed the umbrella body’s future.

Ferriani, an International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board member who is also head of SportAccord, claimed GAISF’s services were "less useful" and "increased the risk of unnecessary duplication".

The Italian official announced plans to transfer the remaining assets, contracts and employees of GAISF to SportAccord and other umbrella organisations.

"AOSIF [ Association of Summer Olympic International Federations], AIOWF [Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations], ARISF [Association of IOC Recognised International Sport Federations] and AIMS [Alliance of Independent Recognised Members of Sport [AIMS] are doing more for their members than ever before and this is certainly a positive," said Ferriani.

"At the same time it’s rendered GAISF services less useful and increased the risk of unnecessary duplication.

"This has resulted in an evolution where the activities conducted under the GAISF in contrast to those implemented by SportAccord have been significantly reduced.

"The reduction in GAISF activities bring us to a point where we have to question whether it is necessary to maintain an entity in parallel to SportAccord.

"Organisations must serve a purpose and they do not exist for their own sake.

"GAISF has long served a useful function and purposes in the present but in view of the reduction of activities it is no longer justified to maintain its self-limited purpose.

"As a Council we have come to the conclusion that the logical consequence has to be addressed.

"This is why we have announced that an EGM will be called in September to decide on the dissolution of GAISF.

"Dissolution will be an opportunity for GAISF to serve one final useful purpose by reinforcing SportAccord by transferring its remaining assets and providing it as well as other umbrella organisations with an increased means to develop its core activity and develop project in the interest of sport and stakeholders.

"Our proposal will not weaken but on the contrary reinforce the organisation of the global sport movement, making it linear and more focused.

"It will also give it a better basis to deliver sport worldwide, build good cooperation between all the stakeholders."

Dissolution would require a two-thirds majority of GAISF’s 97 full members, meaning it would take 33 votes to block it in the event of a 100 per cent turnout.

Ferriani said GAISF, which was founded in 1967, had helped to "significantly" raise the standard of anti-doping within sporting organisation but claimed this service had been made "redundant" following the creation of the International Testing Agency.

He said that GAISF would host question and answer sessions for members, led by a legal working group, over the coming months.

A specific date is expected to be communicated by GAISF with all members invited to participate.

Should the move be approved by GAISF members, the organisation will cease to exist after more than half-a-century in operation.

It would further centralise the power of the IOC, but the proposals have been criticised by heads of International Federations, with the International Life Saving Federation describing the possible move as "morally reprehensible".

Patrick Nally, President of the International Federation of Match Poker, also claimed the proposed dissolution would be "nothing but detrimental" to sport.