As the 2018 ISSF General Assembly meets in Munich to elect its new officers, long-standing ISSF Vice-President Gary Anderson (USA) was not a candidate for re-election.
The 2-time Olympic Champion, 7-time world champion, and 2-time Pan American champion was first elected in the ISSF (UIT at that time) Administrative Council in 1978, along with President Olegario Vàzquez Raña. He was then elected in the ISSF Executive Committee in 1980, and became ISSF Vice-President in 1990.
While retiring after serving the federation for 40 years, 79-year old Anderson addressed a farewell message to the Shooting sport community. The full text of the message will be published in the next ISSF News Magazine edition.
Mr. Anderson’s message reads:
“This General Assembly concludes my 60-year international Shooting career that began as an athlete and subsequently encompassed 40 years of service as an elected ISSF official. My farewell message to you is a message of thankfulness for the experiences I have had and the opportunities I was given to serve our sport.”
[…]
“For the past 38 years I have been privileged to be part of an ISSF leadership team that made the changes necessary to transform our sport into a modern Olympic sport. Under Olegario Vázquez Raña’s leadership, Shooting changed from being an endangered Olympic sport to becoming a big, highly respected and enduring Olympic sport. Shooting changed to become a fully gender equal sport. Shooting became a spectator sport, with dynamic start-from-zero finals and real-time electronic targets. The introduction of new women’s and air gun events changed Shooting into a world sport with universality in participation and governance.”
[…]
“Now our era as ISSF leaders is ending and it is time for a new generation of leaders. As we say farewell to the ISSF, I believe President Olegario Vázquez Raña, Secretary General Schreiber and other members of our leadership team can step down knowing the ISSF and Shooting are stronger and better positioned as an Olympic sport.”
“Living through 60 years as an athlete, national federation leader and ISSF official may seem like a long time, but these years have gone swiftly. I am sincerely grateful for the experiences I have had and the wonderful people with whom I have served. I want to recognize now-departed ISSF leaders who encouraged and mentored me, especially Secretary General Horst Schreiber and Executive Committee members Bjorn Schüllstrom and Bernhard Fischer. I owe an immense debt of gratitude to Olegario Vázquez Raña for the loyalty, friendship and support he has given me. I owe another huge thank you to outgoing Secretary General Franz Schreiber for the close friendship and collaboration we have enjoyed. A special thank you must go to my wife Ruth Ann and our two children, Kirsten and Erik, who often had to sacrifice time with their husband and father so the ISSF work could be done.”
“And to all members of the shooting sports family, thank you and best wishes for a bright future for our great sport!”