The International Shooting Sport Federation have started a three-day visit to Australia, beginning it with a successful meeting at the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) headquarters in Sydney.
ISSF President Luciano Rossi was accompanied by ISSF Vice-President and Oceania Shooting Federation President, Cath Fettell; ISSF Executive Committee member and Shooting Australia CEO, Adam Sachs; and Shooting Australia Precision Program Manager and Para Lead, Cat Berry.
There, they spoke with AOC President Ian Chesterman and AOC CEO Matt Carroll, with AOC Chief of Public Affairs and International Relations, Jacob Anson, joining online.
Positive discussions were had with their hosts, who will be pivotal in the organisation of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games.
The ISSF remains dedicated to shooting sport on the Olympic Programme for years to come.
Australia claimed one bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, when Penny Smith finished third in the women's trap.
During the visit, President Rossi took time to award the President Gold Medal to Ewen Pirie for its contribution to shooting sport.
The former President of the Oceania Shooting Federation (OSF), who hails from Invercargill in New Zealand, met with the ISSF delegation for an official presentation.
Pirie has been an outstanding administrator for decades, first becoming the only South Island Referees Examiner by the New Zealand Clay Target Association in the 1980's, seeing him oversee the south of the nation.
He later became an executive member of the New Zealand Clay Target Association, including a time as Vice-President, before serving as President from 2000 to 2006.
He then became the President of the New Zealand Shooting Federation in 2012 and the OSF President in 2017, roles he has since stepped down from.
For his efforts, he was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2019.
We thank Mr. Pirie for his services to our sport and show our recognition of this with the President Gold Medal.