Australian Sport Minister says International Shooting Sport Federation should remove Russian appointee as President

Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck has this week expressed his belief that the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) should remove Russian national Vladimir Lisin as its President, after the country became the first to sanction Russia's richest individual following the war in Ukraine.

A spokesperson for Senator Colbeck told the Inside the Games website that the Australian Government backs strong sporting sanctions against Russia and Belarus, including the removal of Lisin from his position.

The spokesperson advised “the Australian Government supports any decision to ban or remove Russian and Belarusian players, teams or sporting administrators from their roles as part of our continued condemnation of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable war against Ukraine.

"In an agreed statement issued last month, Minister Colbeck joined Ministers of Sport from 37 nations across the world, calling for a ban on all individual athletes and teams from Russia and Belarus.

"We implore the International Shooting Sport Federation to take the strongest possible action against Mr Lisin, including removing him from his role as President.

"Australians stand with the people of the Ukraine and our Government will continue to encourage the international sport community to show its solidarity."

Lisin is listed by Forbes as Russia's wealthiest individual, with the latest rankings estimating his worth at US$18.4 billion.

The ISSF President has been a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attack in Ukraine, highlighting the impact it will have on the country's economy.

However, he faces increasing calls from a number of countries for him and compatriot Alexander Ratner, the ISSF Secretary General, to vacate their posts.

A number of countries' National Federations have called on the pair to step down, while the Ukrainian Shooting Federation has insisted it will refuse financial help from the ISSF if it is provided by Lisin.

Senator Colbeck's stance puts pressure on Shooting Australia President Cath Fettell in her role as a member of the ISSF Development Fund, a Fund established by Lisin in 2018 through an initial US$10 million donation.

The report on the Fund for 2019 to 2021 was presented by Fettell at the last ISSF Executive Committee meeting on 7th March.

A tweet by Inside the Games journalist Duncan Mackay suggest that Fettel is "incredibly close" to Lisin.

In March, Shooting Australia appointed Adam Sachs as its new Chief Executive.

Sachs joined Shooting Australia as its High Performance Director in 2016 and has more than 20 years of senior management experience in sport and high performance.

Main image: Australian Sports Minister Richard Colbeck.