International Shooting Sport Federation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International Shooting Sport Federation

Sport	Shooting sport
Jurisdiction	International
Membership	150 regions
Abbreviation	ISSF
Founded	1907; 118 years ago (1907)
Headquarters	Munich, Germany
President	Luciano Rossi [it]
Vice president(s)	Catherine Fettell John Hansen Kim Rhode Yifu Wang
Secretary	Willi Grill (Secretary-General)
Official website

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is the main group that organizes and manages Olympic shooting events. It also looks after several other shooting sports that are not in the Olympics. The ISSF makes the rules for these sports, helps athletes qualify for the Olympics, and sets up big international events. These events include the ISSF World Cup and ISSF World Championships.

The ISSF started in 1907 as the International Shooting Union (ISU). It changed its name in 1998. More than 150 national shooting groups from all over the world are part of the ISSF. Its main office is in Munich, Germany. Since 2022, the president of the ISSF has been Luciano Rossi [it] from Italy.

After the 2022 events in Ukraine, the ISSF stopped athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus from joining its competitions. In March 2023, the new president, Luciano Rossi, said he wanted these athletes to be able to compete again. He hoped they could join the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Major Competitions and Records

The ISSF officially recognizes these big competitions:

• The Olympic Games happen every four years. Only Olympic shooting events are included.
• The ISSF World Shooting Championships take place every four years. Shotgun events have their own championships every two years.
• The ISSF World Cup is held four times a year, plus a final event. These are only for Olympic shooting events.
• The ISSF Junior World Cup also happens four times a year with a final. These are for younger athletes in Olympic events.
• Regional championships, like the European Championships or the Pan-American Games, are held regularly. The schedule is decided by each region.

These are the only competitions directly watched over by ISSF committees. They are also the only places where new world records can be set. Because of this, sometimes national records are actually higher than the official world records.

Main Events Organized by ISSF

Shooting Disciplines

The ISSF has five main types of shooting sports: Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Running Target, and Target Sprint. Running Target and Target Sprint both use rifles. However, they are different from regular Rifle events. Running Target uses targets that move. Target Sprint is like Biathlon, where athletes run and then shoot. Many shooting ranges for regular rifle and pistol events are not set up for Running Target or Target Sprint.

This overview only lists the main types of shooting. Some types might have events for men, women, or teams, but these are not listed separately here.

Pistol Shooting

10 Metre Air Pistol

ISSF Pistol events use different types of pistols, including air pistols. Shooters aim at still black circle targets. Points are given based on which ring the shot hits. In the past, timed events used targets that would turn to show or hide. Now, they use still targets with red and green lights to show when to shoot. Most big events now use electronic target systems. These systems will ignore or penalize shots fired too early or too late. This helps avoid problems with old turning targets that could stop a competition.

Olympic Pistol Events

• 10M Air Pistol - A slow and precise event using a .177 calibre air pistol.
• 25M Pistol - A timed event where women shoot at a single target using a .22lr pistol.
• 25M Rapid Fire Pistol - A timed event where men shoot at five targets using a .22lr pistol.

Other Pistol Events

• 25M Center-fire pistol
• 25M Standard Pistol
• 50M Pistol - A slow and precise event shooting at a single target using a .22lr pistol.

Rifle Shooting

10 Metre Air Rifle

ISSF Rifle events use various rifles, including air rifles. Shooters aim at still black circle targets, and points are based on scoring rings.

Olympic Rifle Events

• 10M Air Rifle - A slow and precise event using a .177 calibre air rifle.
• 50M Three-Position Rifle - A slow and precise event using a .22lr single-shot rifle. Shooters shoot from kneeling, prone (lying down), and standing positions.

Other Rifle Events

• 50M Prone Rifle - A slow and precise event using a .22lr single-shot rifle from the prone position.
• 300M Prone Rifle - A slow and precise event using a single-shot centre-fire rifle from the prone position.
• 300M Three-Position Rifle - A slow and precise event using a single-shot centre-fire rifle. Shooters shoot from kneeling, prone, and standing positions.

Shotgun Shooting

Skeet at the 2020 Olympic Games

Olympic Shotgun Events

• Skeet
• Trap

Other Shotgun Events

• Double trap

Running Target Shooting

ISSF Running Target events use rifles, both cartridge and air rifles. The targets are black circles that move. Points are given based on where the shot hits the rings. No Running Target events are part of the Olympic Games.

• 10M Running Target - Uses a single-shot 0.177 calibre air rifle.
• 50M Running Target - Uses a single-shot 0.22lr rifle.

Target Sprint

Target Sprint uses 0.177 air rifles. The targets are still black circles, and scoring is based on whether you hit or miss. This sport is similar to Biathlon. It involves running and then shooting. However, in Target Sprint, all shooting is done standing up. Also, athletes do not carry their rifles while running. The rifles are kept on a rack at the shooting spot. No Target Sprint events are part of the Olympic Games.

History of the ISSF

How Shooting Sports Grew

Target shooting sports became very popular in the late 1800s. This happened partly because countries wanted their citizens to be good at shooting for national defense. Groups like the National Rifle Association in London started in 1859. Their goal was to raise money for shooting competitions to help people improve their shooting skills. Similar groups and events began all over the world, especially in Europe. By 1900, target shooting was a well-known and fun sport. The types of shooting varied by country, often depending on the rifles used by their military.

Early Olympic Games and the ISSF's Start

Shooting was part of the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. In that first event, 39 shooters from seven countries competed. By the next Games in Paris in 1900, 139 shooters from 13 countries took part.

On July 17, 1907, representatives from seven national shooting groups met in Zurich, Switzerland. They formally created the International Union of National Shooting Federations and Associations. This meeting is known as the first ISSF General Assembly. Daniel Mérillon, a French lawyer, was chosen as the first ISSF President.

More national groups joined in the following years. In 1912, 284 shooters from 16 countries competed in the Olympic Games. However, World War I caused the 1916 Olympic Games and all international shooting events to be cancelled. The Union of National Shooting also stopped its activities.

In 1920, President Mérillon invited representatives from former member countries and new countries to a meeting in Paris. They met on April 16, 1920, to restart ISSF activities. Delegates from 14 countries agreed to re-establish the ISSF under the name L'Union Internationale de Tir. Daniel Mérillon was re-elected President. In the first Olympic Games after the war, held in Antwerp in 1920, 233 athletes from 18 nations competed in 21 shooting events. In 1921, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided that ISSF rules would be used for Olympic shooting events. This was a big step in connecting the ISSF and the IOC.

A disagreement happened between the ISSF and the IOC between 1926 and 1928. The ISSF gave money prizes in its championships, which went against the IOC's strict rules about amateur athletes (meaning athletes who do not get paid). Because of this, the IOC removed shooting from the 1928 Games in Amsterdam. After an appeal, shooting was put back in the Olympic program in 1932. However, there were fewer events, and many top shooters could not compete because of the amateur rules. Some shooting events were in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The next year, Catherine Woodring became the first woman to shoot in an official ISSF World Championship event.

Another break in the Olympic Games and shooting history happened in 1940 due to World War II. The ISSF's records were moved to Stockholm, Sweden, a neutral country. After the war ended, in 1947, eight members agreed to hold a World Championship and a General Assembly in Stockholm. Erik Carlsson was elected as the third president of the ISSF.

Late 20th Century Growth

The Pan-American Games and the Asian Games started in 1951 as big multi-sport events for their continents. Shooting was included in both. Since then, these Games have happened every four years, always including shooting. Starting in 1954, the ISSF began holding its World Championships every four years. In 1966, the ISSF decided that its events would be mixed, allowing women to compete with men in all official competitions. This included the 1968 Olympic Games and the next three Olympics.

Olegario Vázquez Raña at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics

In 1976, Hasler stepped down as president after 16 years. George Vichos became president for four years. In February 1980, at the ISSF General Assembly in Mexico City, Olegario Vázquez Raña from Mexico was elected president. He was an active shooter who had competed in four Olympic Games. Horst G. Schreiber was elected as the new Secretary General.

As more national groups joined the ISSF (over 100), the organization needed new rules. A new ISSF Constitution was approved in Moscow in 1980. This new Constitution gave more power to the Administrative Council for making technical rules. It also made the ISSF Section Committees stronger and improved how the Federation handled its money. It also created the ISSF Women's Committee.

In 1984, Unni Nicolaysen became the first woman to be elected to the Administrative Council in the ISSF's 77-year history. That same year, the IOC added three women's events to the Olympic shooting program.

Two years later, the ISSF created an Olympic qualification system. They started a new series of World Cups and included them in this system. Scores from these World Cups could also set new World Records. The first ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup was in Mexico City in March 1986. The first ISSF Shotgun World Cup was in Italy in April. Since 1986, the ISSF World Cup has been held every year. It always ends with an ISSF World Cup Final, where top shooters compete. In 1994, 25 junior events were added to the Championship programs.

At the General Assembly in Barcelona in 1998, the word "Sport" was officially added to the Federation's name. It became the International Shooting Sport Federation. Between the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games, three more women's events were added to the program.

The 21st Century

At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, 390 shooters from 106 countries competed in 17 events. After that, two categories were removed, making it 15 events. In 2006, a record number of participants came to the ISSF World Championship in Zagreb: 1,932 senior and junior athletes from 97 nations competed in 54 individual and 51 team events. Also in 2006, Olegario Vázquez Raña and Horst Schreiber were re-elected as President and Secretary General.

On July 17, 2007, the International Shooting Sport Federation celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Federation started with two shooting events and grew to include 15 Olympic and 23 World Championship events. It became an important part of the Olympic movement.

In 2008, in Beijing, 390 athletes from 103 countries competed in 15 events across three disciplines: Pistol, Rifle, and Shotgun. The first gold medal of the 2008 Olympic Games was awarded on August 9 to Kateřina Emmons, a Czech shooter, in the 10m Air Rifle Women event.

In 2017, the ISSF referred its Vice-President, Luciano Rossi [it], to its Ethics Committee. He was accused of having conflicts of interest. Rossi had criticized changes to the Olympic Shooting Programme, which removed some events. The ISSF claimed he had a business interest in a company that made shooting equipment, which might have influenced his opinions. Rossi was also accused of spreading false information. In May 2018, the Ethics Committee found that the accusations were mostly true and banned Rossi from shooting activities for three years. Some athletes showed support for Rossi by wearing black armbands. Rossi appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The court reduced his ban to 20 weeks but increased his fine. The court also noted that the long ban seemed unfair and might have been influenced by personal and political reasons.

In 2018, Olegario Vázquez Raña stepped down after 38 years as president. At the 68th ISSF General Assembly, Russian businessman Vladimir Lisin was elected president, winning against Luciano Rossi. Lisin was also the former President of the European Shooting Confederation. The election was very competitive. Rossi, who had finished his ethics suspension, claimed he received threats. He even had police protection at the Assembly. Alexander Ratner was elected as ISSF Secretary-General.

In September 2019, Rossi challenged the election results, saying there were problems that stopped two groups from voting. He believed this would have led to a tie. In December 2019, Rossi dropped his case and had to pay for the legal costs.

Lisin's Time as President

Vladimir Lisin, ISSF President 2018-22

When Vladimir Lisin became president in November 2018, he quickly announced a USD$10 million fund. This money came from his own wealth and was meant to help develop shooting sports. The fund aimed to help national groups that needed support, groups that had qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games, and individual athletes who were top-ranked. By June 2022, the ISSF said that over $3.5 million had been given out. An extra $1.1 million worth of equipment was also given to 43 national groups.

In October 2019, the IOC warned the ISSF. This was because the ISSF was selling special packages for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. These packages included reselling official passes and event tickets, which was against the rules for international sports groups.

In December 2019, a special meeting was held to update the ISSF's rules. Key changes included setting limits on how long people could serve in their roles, including the President. It also stopped "proxy voting," where someone votes on behalf of another. This type of vote had been a problem in the presidential election appeal. The changes also meant the Secretary-General would be chosen by the President, not elected. Rossi spoke against this, saying it gave too much power to the President. The new rules were approved, but a rule to limit membership to one group per country was removed.

In November 2022, some shooting groups from the Nordic region wrote an open letter. They were worried about how the sport was developing and asked for more stable rules and competition schedules. This happened after problems at the 2022 Rifle & Pistol World Championships in Cairo. The ISSF's technical rules are usually updated every four years after the Olympic Games. However, since 2017, the format of many events had been changed often, sometimes just weeks before big competitions. One of the new rules allowed the Executive Committee to change rules, which used to be a job for the larger Administrative Committee. This gave the President more personal power over the rulebook. In 2018, the Women's Three Position Rifle format was changed. Then in July 2021, it was changed back. Things became difficult in May 2022 when Lisin announced rule changes for shotgun events before a World Cup. This reportedly happened without asking others.

These organizational issues happened at the same time as the 2022 events in Ukraine. As a result, the ISSF had banned Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials. In March, Alexander Ratner and Vladimir Lisin were not allowed to attend the 10m European Shooting Championships in any official role. They were asked to step aside. Ratner attended privately, saying he and Lisin had no ties to the Russian government. In October 2022, the US was asked to take action against Lisin.

In November, Oleg Volkov, president of the Ukrainian Shooting Federation, asked IOC President Thomas Bach to stop Lisin from running for re-election as ISSF President.

At the 70th General Assembly, Rossi ran for president again, saying it was "Time for Change." Alexander Ratner, the ISSF Secretary-General, wrote an open letter defending Lisin and criticizing Rossi. On November 30, Rossi won the presidential election.

In December 2022, it was found that Lisin had not paid €792,000 in prize money for the ISSF President's Cup as promised. The prize money was finally paid in April 2023. It was also said that the new leadership had trouble getting control of the Federation's social media accounts after the election.

Shooting at the Commonwealth Games

In January 2018, the Commonwealth Games Federation said that shooting would not be part of the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Shooting had been in every Commonwealth Games since 1974. In December 2018, a group from British Shooting and the ISSF, including Vladimir Lisin, visited Birmingham to discuss including shooting. In June 2019, organizers announced that the proposal was not successful. The ISSF had proposed including only Olympic shooting events, plus Fullbore rifle.

In July 2022, the organizers for the 2026 Commonwealth Games also did not include shooting in their first plan. In August 2022, Shooting Australia announced that the ISSF had shown interest in adding shooting as an extra sport. The proposed program was much smaller, including only four types: Trap, Air Rifle, Air Pistol, and Fullbore Rifle. This left out other events. In October 2022, shooting was confirmed for the Games, but without Fullbore Rifle.

Rossi's Time as President

Luciano Rossi, ISSF President 2022-

Luciano Rossi was elected as ISSF President on November 30, 2022.

On December 1, Rossi appointed Willi Grill from Germany as Secretary-General, replacing Ratner.

In March 2023, Rossi said he wanted Russian and Belarusian athletes to be able to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris as neutral athletes.

In December 2023, the Executive Committee held a special meeting at Rossi's request. Willi Grill was removed as Secretary General, but the reasons were not shared.

See also

In Spanish: Federación Internacional de Tiro Deportivo para niños

• List of shooting sports organizations
• ISSF World Shooting Championships
• Shooting at the Summer Olympics