ISSF Administrative Council decided this in their meeting yesterday.
From ISSFs web-site:
One of the important challenges facing the ISSF is to establish rules for rifle shooter clothing that fulfill the sports requirements of being an Olympic sport. During its meeting at Athens on 17 April 2004, the ISSF Administrative Council made important decisions regarding this issue.
These decisions will provide for a complete examination of the rifle shooter clothing proposals and the opinions of shooters, trainers and manufacturers about those proposals, for the establishment of a transition plan for any new rules that will be adopted and for an enforcement plan to assure that the meaning of rifle clothing rules is not changed by subsequent equipment control decisions.
The first step in the Administrative Council decisions is to leave the current rifle clothing rules in effect for the next four years. That means that rifle shooters will be permitted to continue to use their present special shooting trousers and jackets during this interim period. During this period current ISSF standards for clothing thickness, stiffness and design will continue to be enforced by juries.
ISSF rules incorporate a fundamental standard for rifle shooter clothing which states “The use of any special devices, means or garments which immobilize or unduly reduce the movement of the shooter's legs, body or arms are prohibited in order to ensure that the performance skills of the shooters are not artificially improved by special clothing.” This rule reflects a standard that Olympic sports are expected to fulfill where athlete performances are to be determined by human training and sporting effort and not by mechanical or artificial means.
To bring ISSF rifle clothing rules into full compliance with this standard, the ISSF Rifle and Technical Committees proposed that special shooting trousers should be eliminated because they provide artificial support to the shooters. This proposal resulted in a large number of widely varying responses from shooters, trainers and medical experts. The Administrative Council decided that these proposals and opinions needed a full and detailed examination. To do this, the ISSF President will appoint a special commission that will include representatives of the Council, active shooters, trainers, medical experts and clothing manufacturers.
This Special Rifle Clothing Commission will begin its work immediately after the 2004 Olympic Games. It will be responsible for coordinating rule change proposals for trousers and shooting jackets that are to be acted upon by the Administrative Council not later than the 2006 World Championship. New clothing rules that will go into effect after the 2008 Olympics will be announced at that time. This will give shooters, national federations and manufacturers sufficient time to prepare for the implementation of the new rules that will go into effect on 1 January 2009.
Keep your shooting pants until 1.1.2009
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963, David Levene, Spencer
Well I'll be damned. The ISSF finally LISTENED to the howls of outrage that were soming from shooters worldwide. Amazing! There's hope for the sport yet. However, I don't really trust the ISSF anymore. Possible serious changes after the 2008 Olympics? You bet!
The other interesting thing is the following:
"To bring ISSF rifle clothing rules into full compliance with this standard, the ISSF Rifle and Technical Committees proposed that special shooting trousers should be eliminated because they provide artificial support to the shooters."
In other words the ISSF has pemitted the use of equipment for all of these years in the full knowledge that the equipment was in contravention of their own bloody rules! If I shake my head in amazement any more it will fall off.
Can't we shooters through our National reps get rid of this lot of incompetents and get a body of people in place who can administer the sport in the best interests of all shooters?
The other interesting thing is the following:
"To bring ISSF rifle clothing rules into full compliance with this standard, the ISSF Rifle and Technical Committees proposed that special shooting trousers should be eliminated because they provide artificial support to the shooters."
In other words the ISSF has pemitted the use of equipment for all of these years in the full knowledge that the equipment was in contravention of their own bloody rules! If I shake my head in amazement any more it will fall off.
Can't we shooters through our National reps get rid of this lot of incompetents and get a body of people in place who can administer the sport in the best interests of all shooters?
Tom
somebody listened
Ths ISSF finally had to hear the voices of evrybody. We have some hope in this sport. I think we have to recognize that not all members of the ISSF are isolated from us. We have to keep an eye on the Comission anounced to review the rifle clothing, and make sure the voice of active shooters and coaches is heard there. Otherwise we eill only be postponing the discussion for 4 years