Lausanne, 7 September 2018 – The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has issued its decision in the
arbitration procedure between Luciano Rossi and the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF).
The appeal of Luciano Rossi has been partially upheld. As a consequence, the decision rendered by
the ISSF Ethics Committee on 28 April 2018 is amended and the suspension imposed on Mr Rossi
from taking part in any shooting-related activities (administrative, sports and other) is reduced from
36 months to a period of 20 weeks. Furthermore, the fine is increased from CHF 30’000 to CHF
50’000.
Mr Rossi was initially sanctioned by ISSF due to various infractions to the ISSF Code of Ethics in
relation to his personal behaviour and conflict of interest affecting the management of the sport of
shooting.
On 1 June 2018, Mr Rossi filed an appeal at the CAS in which he requested that the ISSF decision be
annulled and that no sanction be imposed on him. The arbitration procedure was conducted by a Panel
of CAS arbitrators, composed of Mr Murray Rosen QC, President (United Kingdom), Mr Luigi
Fumagalli (Italy) and Mr Michele A. R. Bernasconi (Switzerland). The Panel heard the parties at a
hearing which took place at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on 29 August 2018.
The CAS Panel confirmed the existence of serious violations by Mr Rossi of some rules of the ISSF
Code of ethics but noted that the sanctions imposed on him were not appropriate in the light of the
breaches committed, which are mainly connected to business issues (non-disclosure of conflict of
interest in relation to private business in shooting, spreading of misinformation and disloyalty towards
the ISSF). As a consequence, the CAS Panel reduced the 3-year ban, which was clearly
disproportionate, to 20 weeks (ending on 13 September 2018), and increased the fine from CHF 30’000
to CHF 50’000.
As a consequence, the CAS Panel determined that the decision rendered by the ISSF Ethics Committee
dated 28 April 2018 should be modified as follows:
1. Mr Rossi is held responsible for serious breaches of Article 2.2.1 (Conflict of Interest) and
Article 2.1.3 (Loyalty) of the Code of Ethics of the International Shooting Sport Federation;
2. Mr Rossi is banned from taking part in any shooting-related activities (administrative, sports
and other) for a period of twenty (20) weeks as from 27 April 2018;
3. Mr Rossi is suspended from his office of Vice-President of the International Shooting Sport
Federation for a period of twenty (20) weeks as from 27 April 2018;
4. Mr Rossi is subjected to a fine in the total amount of EUR 50’000.
The full award with grounds will be communicated to the parties in due course and then published on
the CAS website, unless the parties request that it is kept confidential.
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