The organisation was initially called the International Foundation for Disabled Sailing up until around 2008 when it had to change its name due to tax law in the country it is registered in.

To complete the merger, the IFDS Foundation was dissolved during the 2015 ISAF Annual Conference held in Sanya, China.

[1] In the ensuing months, para sailors, supporters and MNAs worldwide blamed IFDS[2] for failure to produce the required documentation to keep the sport in the Paralympics.

[5][6] Yachting Australia President Matt Allen said, "The decision to take sailing out of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games has left us stunned.

We will consult with our ISAF colleagues to support the case for sailing and for all avenues to be explored for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and beyond.