Alexander Ratner, a Russian candidate who secured the presidency of the European Shooting Confederation (ESC) in October 2025, has suffered a major blow to his standing in international shooting after being handed a three-year period of ineligibility and a €30,000 fine.
An independent Adjudicatory Panel of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), as has been announced officially, found him guilty of multiple breaches of its Integrity Code, involving improper influence over the electoral process, gender-based discrimination and the concealment of evidence.
The ruling, issued on 6 November, relates directly to Ratner’s conduct during the ESC presidential elections held in Yerevan, Armenia, on 24–25 October 2025, when he defeated Finnish candidate Karoliina Nissinen. Less than a year after securing the European presidency, Ratner has now been formally sanctioned by an independent ISSF panel over misconduct connected with the very election that brought him to power.
The independent panel, composed of Saverio Paolo Spera (Chair), Dr Tanja Haug and Professor Giovanni Zarra, found violations relating to improper influence over the electoral process, gender-based discriminatory statements during the election campaign and the undue concealment of recordings of the election process during the subsequent investigation.
The findings represent a significant development in a controversy that has surrounded the ESC elections for more than a year. Nissinen, Ratner’s opponent in the presidential election, formally reported his conduct to the ISSF Integrity Unit following the vote, raising concerns about irregularities and misconduct during the electoral process.
The ISSF investigation, which lasted approximately four months, ultimately resulted in findings against Ratner under multiple provisions of the federation’s Integrity Code. The proceedings included interviews with several witnesses, including Ratner himself, the submission of written observations by both parties and an oral hearing on 14 October 2026 that lasted more than five hours.
For Nissinen, the decision represents a significant development in the case she brought before the ISSF Integrity Unit following the ESC presidential elections. The panel’s findings establish multiple breaches of the ISSF Integrity Code by Ratner in connection with the electoral process, addressing several of the concerns that prompted her complaint.
The consequences are now likely to extend beyond the European governing body.
Ratner is also a member of the ISSF Council and Executive Committee and is a candidate in the forthcoming ISSF presidential elections, scheduled for 13–14 December 2026. His eligibility to contest the election is now in question.
According to the ISSF announcement, the implications of the decision for the ongoing presidential election process, including Ratner’s eligibility, will be determined by the federation’s Electoral and Nominations Commission (ENC) early next week.
The sanctions are immediately enforceable and may be appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). An appeal would not automatically suspend their enforcement unless CAS decides otherwise.
The ISSF decision therefore comes at a particularly sensitive moment for international shooting, with the federation preparing to elect its next president and questions now being raised about the position of one of the candidates.
Read the full ISSF official press release here.
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