CISM was founded on 18 April 1948 in Nice, France by five nations - Belgium, Denmark, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. CISM was created while these five founding nations were meeting in Nice at a fencing event. Although they were all European countries, the five founding nations had a more global project in mind.

This desire among the military to meet in sports arenas instead of battlegrounds was not new in 1948. Indeed, just after the First World War in 1919, General John Pershing established the Allied Forces Sports Council and organised the 1st Inter Allied Games in France. These games involved 18 nations representing five continents. 1500 athletes competed in 24 different sports in front of a large audience in Joinville in the Paris suburbs.

Following the Second World War in May 1946, the Allied Forces Sports Council was revived by Colonel Debrus and Major Mollet, who were among the founding fathers of CISM. The 2nd Inter Allied Games were held in Berlin in 1946, however, only athletics was organised at these games. Unfortunately, because of political discord, the Allied Forces Sports Council was disbanded in 1947. However, the idea was rekindled the following year with the founding of CISM and the rise of a global vision.

Since its founding in 1948, CISM's universality became increasingly real, developed as it was by the Presidents and Secretaries General who led the organisation over the years. In 1950, Argentina and Egypt joined the - by then - nine European countries. In 1951 the USA joined, followed in 1952 by Iraq, Lebanon, Pakistan and Syria.

Over the years, membership has progressed at a steady pace. The political turmoil at the end of the 80's and more specifically the fall of the Berlin Wall gave renewed impetus to CISM's expansion. In the space of just four years (1991-1995), 31 new member countries joined CISM. Such rapid progress led to recognition by international institutions such as the IOC.