Organisation

Headquarters

The city of Munich has been the home of the ISSF, former UIT, since February of 1980. According to its first constitution in 1907, the president was authorized to appoint the secretary general. Consequently, the secretariat of the International Shooting Union was located at the office of the French federation in Paris, France until 1939.

But at the start of World War II, at least one man was planning for a return to peace. Prompted by his great interest in the shooting sport and his deep conviction that the international shooting sport could contribute to world peace and good will among nations, Carl August Larson, a Swedish journalist, made the somewhat adventurous journey from Stockholm to Paris to collect records from the former secretariat for safe keeping in a neutral country. On the initiative of Erik Carlsson and Carl August Larson of Sweden, the international federation was reborn in 1946. These men were then elected to the respective offices of president and secretary general of the International Shooting Union. After more than 30 years, the headquarters of the ISSF was moved from Paris to Stockholm where it remained until 1960.

With the election of Mr. Ernst Zimmermann as secretary general of the International Shooting Union - also secretary general of the national federation in Germany - the headquarters was moved to Wiesbaden for the next 20 years, where the national federation of Germany, with its modern offices and facilities, was the home of the international shooting sport until 1980.

With the election of Mr. Olegario Vázquez Raña as the president and Mr. Horst G. Schreiber as the secretary general of UIT in February of 1980 at the general assembly in Mexico City, the headquarters was moved to the city of Munich where it is still located today.

At the headquarters, the secretary general works independently within the limits of his authority with a small permanent staff of only six people. In his capacity as the secretary general and a member of the executive committee, he has, at all times, the right and duty to coordinate the work of the various ISSF bodies.