New ISSF rules...

Sparks

From the ISSF website, with permission:

ISSF RELEASES TECHNICAL RULES UPDATE

The ISSF Administrative Council recently approved an updated “2nd Edition” of the ISSF 2013-2016 Technical Rules. The 1st Edition of these Rules was released at the beginning of 2013 and were in effect during all 2013 ISSF Championships. The new revised version of the ISSF Rules is now posted on the ISSF website for download. Printed versions of the 2nd Edition Rules will soon be available and may be ordered from the ISSF Headquarters.

Since there were many changes in the 2013-2016 Rules, the ISSF conducted a careful review of these Rules during the 2013 ISSF Championships. Comments were solicited from ISSF Committees, National Federations, athletes, coaches and officials. The ISSF Rules Committee compiled these comments so they could be studied and discussed during two Rules meetings that took place in July 2013. Drafts of the revised Rules were then prepared and circulated for additional comments. Final drafts were reviewed by all ISSF Committees one additional time before the revised Rules were presented for Council approval.

The 2nd Edition of the 2013-2016 Rules includes all “Rule Interpretations” that were issued during 2013, and “fine tuning of the new Finals Rules. It also includes the modernization of the ISSF equipment control Rules and necessary editing and style corrections.

...

A major change in this 2nd Edition of the Rules concerns a change in pre-competition equipment control from mandatory to voluntary. Athletes are no longer required to bring all of their guns and equipment for checking before the competitions. Equipment Control Sections will continue to be available, but now the athletes can decide which equipment is doubtful and needs to be checked. There is one exception to the voluntary pre-competition testing rule; Rifle jackets and trousers must still be checked and receive the ISSF seals in order to register the jackets and trousers to the athletes. Rifle athletes are allowed to use only one jacket and trousers in each Championship so each athlete must have the shooting jacket and trousers he/she will use checked and registered in the ISSF database.

During the last eight years, the ISSF has learned that only random post-competition testing is truly effective in ensuring that legal equipment is used. As before, athletes continue to be responsible for using only legal equipment and for knowing that their equipment is subject to random post-competition checks. However, with voluntary and not mandatory pre-competition testing, it is expected that the amount of equipment needing checking and the time athletes spend in equipment control lines will be significantly reduced.

The complete edition of the 2013-2016 ISSF Technical Rules, 2nd Print is now approved and is in effect for all competitions from now on.

The Rules are published and may be downloaded under the following link: http://www.issf-sports.org/theissf/rules/english_rulebook.ashx

IRLConor

The removal of mandatory attendance at equipment control is a good idea. Given that you could pass EC pre-competition and then fail it in a random post-competition check anyway there wasn't a huge benefit to forcing everyone through it. It should also make the staffing of a major ISSF competition easier since there should be a lower workload on the jury members.

The change to the final running order is a little odd though.

Athletes may remain in position during the presentations, but they must lower their rifles from their shoulders and are expected to turn their heads and faces towards spectators and the TV camera used to show the presentations. All finalists’ rifles must remain down, out of their shoulders, until the presentation of all Finalists is finished.

I don't know if it's always possible to remain in position and at the same time turn your face towards spectators and the TV camera. It's possible in the standing position but unless you have a neck like an owl you won't be able to comply with the rule when prone. You'll have to break position and they've removed the final sighting time. I guess we'll find out who has really consistent setup now!

Sparks

I think that's when you have your coach haul out the english dictionary to point out to the awkward member of the range jury that "towards" and "to face" have slightly different meanings

"Hes not looking at ze audience!"
"No, but he's turned his head towards them, that's all the rule says"
"No he has not!"
"Yes he has, see - by a whole two degrees! Show me the part in the rule that says how much he has to turn his head by?"
"....nein, not zis zhite again... zis is worse than Sonia and her ruler..."

It wasn't me!

They've been doing it in kneeling already this year, but that's obviously a much more conducive position than prone. It'll be impossible to properly turn towards the audience from prone, so the degree to which that's enforced will be interesting. Funny to see that with vastly increased final lengths, it's the two minutes final sighting time that got axed...