• ISSF COMMITMENT TO CLEAN SPORT

• WORLD ANTI-DOPING CODE (CODE)

• PROHIBITED LIST

• SPEAK UP

• PROHIBITED ASSOCIATION

• THERAPEUTIC USE EXEMPTIONS

• REGISTERED TESTING POOL

• TESTING

• STRICT LIABILITY

• RISK OF SUPPLEMENT USE

• ADVERSE ANALYTICAL FINDINGS, ANTI-DOPING RULE VIOLATIONS and RESULTS MANAGEMENT

• SANCTIONING AND OTHER CONSEQUENCES 

• ISSF INFORMATION PORTAL ON DOPING - IPOD

• ISSF ANTI-DOPING RULES

• PRIVACY

ISSF COMMITMENT TO CLEAN SPORT

The International Shooting Sport Federation’s Anti-Doping Program is founded on the intrinsic value of sport. This intrinsic value is often referred to as "the spirit of sport": the ethical pursuit of human excellence through the dedicated perfection of each Athlete’s natural talents. The ISSF’s Anti-Doping Program seeks to protect the health of all its Athletes and to provide the opportunity for Athletes to pursue human excellence without the Use of Prohibited Substances and Methods.

 is committed to maintaining the integrity of sport in terms of respect for rules, other competitors, fair competition, a level playing field, and the value of clean sport to the world. The spirit of sport is the celebration of the human spirit, body and mind. It is the essence of Olympism and is reflected in the values we find in and through sport, including:  health, ethics, fair play and honesty, Athletes’ rights as set forth in the Code, excellence in performance, character and education, fun and joy, teamwork, dedication and commitment, respect for rules and laws, respect for self and other Participants, courage, community and solidarity

Doping is fundamentally contrary to the spirit of sport and  is committed to keeping our sport clean and healthy by instilling values based anti-doping education to all those involved in our great sport.

ISSF is a signatory to the Code and follows the Code's mandate in all areas of its Anti-Doping Program. 

The ISSF follows and implements the Prohibited List as a Signatory to the Code. The List was first published in 1963 under the leadership of the International Olympic Committee. Since 2004, as mandated by the Code, the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) is responsible for the preparation and publication of the List.

The Prohibited List is a cornerstone of the Code and a key component of world-wide harmonisation of anti-doping regulations and initiatives. It is an International Standard identifying Substances and Methods prohibited in-competition, out-of-competition, and in particular sports.

The Prohibited List is revised every year by WADA and comes into effect on January 1st of every calendar year. For a link to the current Prohibited List please see the Prohibited List section in our drop-down menu of click here  2021list_en.pdf (wada-ama.org).

Athletes and Athlete support personnel should be advised that all individuals on the Prohibited Association List are named here and that it is prohibited to associate with any one on this List:

You must not associate with anyone named on this list if you wish to avoid an anti-doping rule-violation.

Athletes may have illnesses or conditions that require them to take particular medications. If the medication an athlete is required to take to treat an illness or condition happens to fall under the Prohibited List, a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) may give that athlete the authorization to take the needed medicine.

The ISSF has its own TUE Committee that considers all submitted TUE applications and that grants or denies TUEs to international-level athletes in American Football. All athletes intending to compete at the international level must apply for and obtain a TUE from ISSF. The application must be submitted at least 30 days before competing.

An Athlete may be granted a TUE if (and only if) he/she can show, on the balance of probabilities, that each of the following conditions is met:

a) The Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method in question is needed to treat a diagnosed medical condition supported by relevant clinical evidence.

b) The Therapeutic Use of the Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method will not, on the balance of probabilities, produce any additional enhancement of performance beyond what might be anticipated by a return to the Athlete’s normal state of health following the treatment of the medical condition.

c) The Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method is an indicated treatment for the medical condition, and there is no reasonable permitted Therapeutic alternative

d) The necessity for the Use of the Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method is not a consequence, wholly or in part, of the prior Use (without a TUE) of a substance or method which was prohibited at the time of such Use.

ISSF will recognize a TUE for any national-level athlete holding a national-level.  

In the event that the TUE is not recognized by the ISSF TUEC, the Athlete will be promptly informed and the national level TUE will be deemed to be non-valid at the international level for international competition until the matter is resolved.

Please see Article 4.4 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules which deals with Therapeutic Use Exemptions. 

More information on TUEs is available here: ISSF - International Shooting Sport Federation - issf-sports.org  

The term Registered Testing Pool refers to the pool of top-level athletes established by the ISSF and/or a relevant National Anti-Doping Organization who are subject to both In-Competition and Out-of-Competition testing as part of the ISSF or a National-Anti-Doping Organization's test distribution plan.


The athletes who are included the ISSF Registered Testing Pool must provide their whereabouts on a quarterly basis, including all training camps and schedules. They must also provide a 60-minute time slot for which they can be available for testing every day of the year. Any failure to submit timely and accurate whereabouts information, or any failure to be present at the location and time indicated on the whereabouts information submitted, can result in sanctions.

The ISSF RTP will be reset and updated at each quarter and athletes are required to verify if they are included in the ISSF RTP for the current quarter.

Please be advised that all athletes who compete in ISSF events and who hold an ISSF ID are equally subject to both In-Competition and Out-of-Competition testing on a year-round basis.

As a condition of competition all ISSF athletes must sign a Consent Form agreeing to be bound by the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules, to submit to testing when requested to do so and to respect all possible consequences arising from the doping control process. More information on testing and the doping control process can be found on ADEL : Anti-Doping Education and Learning (wada-ama.org).

In-Competition tests

In-Competition testing in American Football is testing that is conducted in connection with any ISSF sanctioned event. More specifically, “In-Competition” means the period commencing at 11:59 p.m. on the day before a Competition in which the Athlete is scheduled to participate through the end of such Competition and the Sample collection process related to such Competition.

Out-of-Competition tests

Out-of-Competition testing can occur during any period which is not In-Competition. This means testing can be done at any time of the year (excluding the In-Competition event testing periods) and at any location, such as an athlete's home, place of training, or even while they are abroad for personal or training reasons. Out-of-Competition testing takes place with no advance notice to the athlete.

ISSF works closely with National Anti-Doping Organizations and certified Sample Collection Agencies to plan and conduct Out-of-Competition testing on its RTP and TP athletes throughout the year in accordance with its Anti-Doping Rules and the International Standard for Testing and Investigations

All urine and blood samples collected automatically become part of that specific athlete’s Athlete Biological Passport steroidal module. More information on the Athlete Biological Passport can be found here: Athlete Biological Passport | World Anti-Doping Agency (wada-ama.org)

An anti-doping rule violation is committed under Article 2.1 and 2.2 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules without regard to an Athlete’s Fault. This rule has been referred to in the Code and  in various Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) decisions as “Strict Liability”.

Strict Liability is a rule which provides that under Article 2.1 and Article 2.2 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules, it is not necessary that intent, Fault, negligence, or knowing Use on the Athlete’s part be demonstrated by the Anti-Doping Organization in order to establish an anti-doping rule violation.

An Athlete’s Fault is taken into consideration in determining the Consequences of this anti-doping rule violation under Article 10 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules. This principle has consistently been upheld by the CAS. 

ISSF encourages and reminds athletes, support personnel and the American Football community about the risks of using supplements and sport nutrition products.

As stated above the principle of strict liability makes athletes responsible for everything they ingest. 

IF YOU ARE NOT SURE IT IS SAFE AND IF YOU DON’T HAVE A TUE… DON’T USE IT, DON’T EAT IT, DON’T DRINK IT and DON’T INGEST IT!

ISSF has stressed it over and over in the past: athletes should protect themselves at all times against inadvertent anti-doping rule violations. 

The term Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) refers to a report from a WADA accredited laboratory that indicates that the urine sample collected from an athlete (during in-competition or out-of-competition testing) yielded the presence of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method.

The term AAF does not necessarily imply that an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) has occurred because the athlete may have been granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the use of the substance or may have elevated endogenous substances which are normal for his or her own system and do not necessarily reflect a positive doping violation.

An AAF only becomes an asserted ADRV after the completion of a preliminary review and a formal enquiry.

Further to an ADRV being formally asserted against an athlete by the ISSF Anti-Doping Committee, a hearing shall take place and a written and reasoned decision shall be rendered by the CAS Anti-Doping Division as to whether an ADRV has truly occurred and what the appropriate sanction should be.

Due process is ensured throughout all these disciplinary steps.

Please see Article 5 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules which deals with Testing, Article 7 and 8 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules which deals with Results Management and Hearings, as well as the International Standard for Testing and Investigations and the International Standard for Results Management.

Any consequences resulting from or sanctions imposed as a result of an anti-doping rule violation shall comply with the Code and the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules.

Please see Article 10 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules which deals with sanctions, which include periods of ineligibility and disqualification of results.

All decisions issued by ISSF or by the CAS Anti-Doping Division as a result of an anti-doping rule violation committed by under the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules will be posted on this website in accordance with Article 14 of the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules.

In addition to periods of ineligibility and disqualification, there are numerous other negative consequences that can arise from anti-doping rule violations which can affect an individual’s physical and mental well being and have important social and economic effects on athletes and their entourage. Please be vigilant. Play fair and play safe. 

ISSF will also continue to disseminate educational materials via our member federations, through our articles in the ISSF News publication and at some of our International Events by means of the Athlete Outreach Booth. We trust these tools will continue to educate all our Shooters and their support teams on the ISSF anti-doping program, the results management and sanctioning processes and the various negative implications of using performance enhancing drugs.

In accordance with ISSF’s ongoing obligations under the Code, the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules and Anti-Doping Program have been regularly modified and enhanced to remain in full compliance with the Code.

Athletes, Athlete Support Personnel and others have many rights and responsibilities under the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules, please see in particular Article 20 (Additional roles and responsibilities of Athletes), Article 21 (Additional Roles and Responsibilities of Athlete Personnel) and Article 22 (Additional Rules and responsibilities of other persons). 

The ISSF Anti-Doping Rules requires athletes and athlete support personnel to furnish a significant amount of personal information to ISSF and their relevant National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO). The administration of the ISSF Anti-Doping Program also requires and results in employees and third-party contractor or other having access to a myriad of private and personal data.

Athletes consent to the same by way of their ISSF Consent Form and by virtue of being bound to the ISSF Anti-Doping Rules and the International Standard for the Protection of Privacy and Personal Information.

It is essential for ISSF to appropriately protect the personal information that it processes both to meet legal standards and to ensure the continued confidence and trust of those involved with ISSF. The ISSF has internal privacy policies which outlines ISSF’s privacy safeguards. You can also contact ISSF directly if you have any questions on this topic. doris@issf-sports.org