ESC Open Table in Yerevan: Dialogue over Agenda

After last year’s successful debut, the Open Table has become an important discussion space for the European shooting community.

 With about 50 participants from 25 nations, the ESC leadership showed its transparency in work by inviting national federations to continue dialogue about the sport’s future.

The session brought together ESC President Alexander Ratner, Secretary General Yahor Aleinik, and Sport Director Elena Allen. They were joined by Nino Salukvadze – ESC Vice President, Robert Ferenčak – Technical Committee Chairman and Allison Fairclough – High Performance Director of the Irish Clay Target Shooting Association as speakers on key items of the agenda.

Mrs. Allen opened the discussion on the new ESC formats. As always, the ESC continues to pioneer ideas aimed at making our sport easier to understand and more attractive to audiences. She noted that the ESC Challenge attracted strong audience interest, based on feedback collected during last year’s European Championship in Châteauroux and the Junior Championships in Burgas last month. However, there is still room for further improvement and development. Some standards are needed to make the format more TV-friendly while ensuring that the core philosophy of the sport is maintained.

Since the new ISSF rules for finals and equipment are still causing heated debates, Robert Ferenčak explained the changes in detail. The goal was to make sure all federations understood everything, and the participants took this chance to share their serious worries.

The talk got especially heated when it came to equipment. Participants said that while athletes must now use new suits and weapons, manufacturers haven't made enough of them yet to meet the new rules. The message from the federations was clear: the ISSF and industry must guarantee that they will provide the community with necessary amounts of what is needed to follow rules and keep pace with regulatory changes to avoid penalizing athletes.

One of the most intense and unplanned questions centered on the ISSF Academy and the mandatory licensing of coaches for participation in competitions. Nino Salukvadze and Allison Fairclough pointed out several major issues in the current system.

Participants questioned the Academy’s experts and methods. It is unclear who the instructors are and why their techniques should be preferred over those of world-renowned coaches who have already trained Olympic champions. Forcing a single approach ignores the reality of elite training, where every top specialist has their own unique style.

The financial side is a major issue, especially for smaller federations. They now face a tough choice: use their limited budget to send athletes to competitions or pay for coach licenses. Furthermore, many experts in their field do not speak English well enough for this mandatory course. Should this really become a barrier that stops top coaches and their athletes from competing at the highest level?

Mrs. Salukvadze pointed out that while the Academy’s goal to educate is important, its current format and strict rules just don't work for the real needs of the shooting world. She emphasized that training at the Academy should be a voluntary choice, not a mandatory requirement.

All issues raised during the discussion were noted. The ESC will bring these points to the ISSF. We must work together to improve our sport, not to build more barriers.

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