14 october 2024 : New Delhi: To expand the audience for shooting and enhance its appeal to spectators, the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is planning to implement changes to the sport’s rules and formats, according to ISSF president Luciano Rossi, who spoke on Sunday ahead of the World Cup Final set to begin on Tuesday.
While specific details of the format changes are still under discussion, the ISSF aims to make shotgun events—skeet and trap—more streamlined and competitive. These outdoor events require shooters to hit moving targets while also contending with environmental factors like wind and rain.
Currently, the shotgun medal round features only six qualifiers, unlike the eight shooters in rifle and pistol finals. “First, we need uniformity… We want to increase the number of finalists in individual shotgun events to eight,” Rossi stated.
“We realized that spectators and broadcasters were dissatisfied with our finals—they were too lengthy and lacked excitement. I’ve shared some ideas with our technical committee for evaluation.”
The Paris Olympics included 15 events, which Rossi confirmed would remain for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, featuring a field of 340 athletes (170 men and 170 women). “We’ve communicated this to the organizing committee of the LA Games and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Our previous relationship with the IOC was challenging, but it has since improved significantly.”
Currently, the qualification rounds for skeet and trap last 2-3 days and involve 125 shots divided into five series of 25 each. This may also undergo changes as the ISSF aims to make it more television-friendly. “We need to establish a new format soon, but it will be implemented only after consulting with numerous stakeholders, including shooters, federations, and journalists. It’s time for a change, and by the end of next year, we plan to finalize the modifications. We aim to implement these changes in 2026, with the first World Cup in 2027 following the new rules.”
2025 Junior World Cup in India
Next year’s Junior World Cup is set to take place in India, with Rossi commending the country’s shooters for their impressive performance in the recently concluded edition in Lima, where India secured 24 medals (13 gold, 3 silver, 8 bronze).
India is also likely to host an Olympic qualifier in 2027. “We’ve received India’s application, and while the final decision lies with the ISSF executive committee, I foresee no issues.”
It appears that the World Cup Final, which offers prize money (5000 euros for gold, 4000 euros for silver, and 2000 euros for bronze) covered by the hosts, had limited participation due to high organizing costs. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) reportedly negotiated to host two ISSF events for the World Cup Final.
The qualification for the Paris Games included a ranking system that may be abandoned for the LA Games. “We noticed that the ranking system mainly benefitted larger, stronger nations. Moving forward, we want to designate every World Cup held two years before the Olympics as a quota event,” Rossi explained.
Notably, India’s Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, and Swapnil Kusale have chosen to skip the upcoming competitions at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range. “This presents an excellent opportunity for other shooters to shine. The 23-member Indian team is a formidable unit,” remarked NRAI president Kalikesh Singh Deo. Any changes to India’s selection process will occur once the Olympics qualification system is confirmed.
