24 April 2023 – The ISSF Executive Committee approved today its support of the recommendations published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on 28 March 2023.
During the ISSF Executive Committee (“ExCo”) meeting on 24 April 2023 the members discussed in detail the recommendations of the IOC to assess a pathway for the return of neutral athletes holding a Russian or Belarussian passport to individual international competition.
First, and foremost the ExCo members reiterated their unlimited solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian Shooting community, whose pain and suffering are beyond imagination. The ExCo members therefore, fully support all measures and sanctions imposed by the IOC against athletes and Officials from Russia and Belarus.
At the same time, the ExCo supports the arguments mentioned by the IOC with respect to the proposed return of athletes, who are to no extend involved in the war.
The ExCo agreed to create an Ad Hoc Commission to explore the timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility.
The ISSF will work in close collaboration with the IOC and ASOIF on drafting respective eligibility rules, defining the independent review process necessary to also ensure that only neutral athletes, who are not contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies may be considered.
The ExCo further expressed the need for a clear commitment from the ISSF member associations in Russia and Belarus to cooperate with the process by providing information on athletes, when requested in course of the review process.