Dear ISSF Athletes,
We, on the Athletes Committee, wanted to reach out and let you know that your health and safety, for both you and your family, is our number one priority. The Athletes Committee has been very active and involved with both the IOC and the ISSF to make sure that your voice is heard. Things are changing so rapidly around the world on various topics and the Athletes Committee has been communicating daily to make sure we are best representing you. Here is a rough outline of our activity:
-- The ISSF Athlete Committee sent a letter to the ISSF outlining concerns about World Cups in India and Cyprus and wanting clarification about World Ranking and Quota slots due to the coronavirus and its impact on countries unable to travel and athletes’ ability to train.
The ISSF responded:
1. Each Member Federation makes its own decisions upon its evaluation of the situation. For example, more than 320 athletes from 58 countries have been registered so far to participate in the WC in Cyprus.
2. The matter of Rankings and other Olympic qualification conditions will be discussed upon reality.
-- The IOC Athlete Commission lead a global call on the coronavirus and ISSF’s Athletes Committee Chair, Kim Rhode, was on that call. The link to a summary of this call is:
https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/voice/ioc-ac-global-call-coronavirus/
The IOC outlined two Guiding Principles:
1) To protect the health of everyone involved and support the containment of the virus; and,
2) Safeguard your interest and the interest of Olympic Sport.
The IOC has established a task force which includes the Japanese government authorities, Tokyo government authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) as advisors. They have been following the recommendations of these experts.
- The ISSF Athletes committee was requested by the IOC athlete representative Abhinav Bindra to give feedback and input for possible postponement of Olympic Games.
ISSF Athletes Committee sent recommendations for possible postponement of Olympic Games to Abhinav Bindra. We expressed our concern for the safety of athletes who will continue to train through this pandemic. Also, our concern on how to manage and fairly reallocate the remaining quota slots. Our recommendations were forwarded directly to the IOC Sports Department.
- The ISSF Athletes Committee was made aware of the March 16th letter requesting all member federations to express their initial interest in bidding for competitions in the next Olympic cycle 2021-2024. Questions were raised about rifle/pistol 25 meters & 50 meters events being excluded, trap and skeet competitions being split, etc.
A letter was sent to the ISSF asking for clarification on the March 16 letter on 25 meters & 50 meters events being excluded, separate world cups, etc.
The ISSF responded on the March 16th letter and clarified that this was just a request for applications and that some federations were not able to host a 10/25/50M but can host a 10 meter only. The ISSF wants to increase the number of World Cups to increase the popularity of our sport.
March 24 - The postponement announcement from IOC and the Tokyo Organizing Committee stated that the Games of the XXXII Olympiad in Tokyo must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021.
- The ISSF Athletes Committee sent a letter to the ISSF Technical Committee members giving input and feedback on the proposed ISSF World Ranking system. We recommended that the actual ranking points system, as it is now, must be changed to a non-decrease day-by-day system, it will allow to count the same points for every competition until the last day of the year (annual ranking) and until the deadline to distribute the quota places for the Olympic Games (World Ranking) and will benefit the best athlete in both cases.
- The IOC Athlete Commission lead a 2nd global call on the coronavirus and postponement of the Olympic games to July 23rd 2021 and ISSF’s Athletes Committee Chair, Kim Rhode, was on that call. The link to a summary of this call is: https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/voice/31-march-ioc-ac-global-call-tokyo-2020/
We want the athletes to know that we, on the ISSF Athletes Committee, understand the challenge moving forward toward 2021. We are here representing you and if you have any concerns, feel free to reach out on the ISSF web page or at my email rhodeissfathletecomm@yahoo.com. Also there are some great resources for you on the IOCs Athlete365 Page. https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/well-being/look-after-yourself/
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your BALANCE, you must keep moving.” Albert Einstein
The ISSF Athletes Committee