Barbora Dubská is running for the ISSF Athletes Committee
Czech rifle shooter Barbora Dubská is a candidate for the Athletes Committee of the International Shooting Sport Federation. The elections will take place during the World Championships in October and November, and the results will decide the members of the committee for the 2026–2030 period.
Why did you decide to run for the ISSF Athletes’ Commission?
One of the reasons is that I study International Studies and Diplomacy at the Prague University of Economics and Business, and I thought the athletes committee could be a great opportunity to combine my passion for sport with what I study.
How did you find a way to combine your studies with your passion for sport?
At the moment, I am working on my bachelor’s thesis, regarding Sports Diplomacy (The Role of Athletes in the Governance of International Sports Federations: A Case Study of the ISSF and ESC – An Analysis of the Influence and Barriers of Czech Sports Diplomacy). I did the interviews with athletes who are members of committees, as well as with candidates who were not successful and some Czech athletes. I also asked them how they perceived the fairness and transparency of the election process, what their visions and plans were, and whether they are interested in the work of the committees at all. Based on this, I thought it would be a good idea to run for the committee myself. I study a field that is related to this, and I would like to stay involved in sport in the future and so I see it as a great combination, and I think it can help me while also giving me some valuable experience.
What do you expect from your candidacy?
I think it is definitely something that can give me a lot, but at the same time, I also have something to offer the committee. I believe I am able to communicate well with people in general, I like to talk. But I don’t think it would be always easy whether it comes to finding a consensus or managing the time commitment.
What do you think athletes need the most?
I think greater transparency in sharing information would be helpful, because I don't think there is enough of it at the moment. It is not really possible to find for example the minutes from some of the meetings and I think many athletes would appreciate having access to this information.
What has your experience been with communication from the commission?
We have group chats, divided into rifle, pistol and shotgun athletes. From time to time, we receive a questionnaire asking us to evaluate the preparation for a World Cup, but that is basically the only communication we receive from the commission or at least how I perceive that. I don't want to speak for all athletes, but last year there was a change of the rules in the finals. In smallbore, the time limit and the number of shots were changed, while in rapid-fire pistol and shotgun, the number of finalists was increased from six to eight. Air rifle and sport pistol remained the same. As rifle athletes, we had the opportunity to submit our own proposal for how the final could be organized, athletes were able to participate in the trials and try different formats of the final. I am not sure how this worked in the other disciplines. I spoke to a few athletes who were also affected by the changes, and they didn’t know that we, as rifle athletes, had had the opportunity to come up with our own proposal for the change of the rules.
Why should athletes vote for you?
I would say, I am in general able to communicate with different types of people, and I enjoy discussing. I am always happy to discuss different issues, and I am open to finding compromises and solutions rather than pushing my own point of view. My language skills could also be a great advantage. I speak English and French, and I also have some basic knowledge of German and Italian. I think this can be useful for the work in the committee. Another advantage would definitely be being able to use the insights and experience from my studies and apply what I have learned at the university.
Why did you decide to run for the ISSF Athletes’ Commission?
One of the reasons is that I study International Studies and Diplomacy at the Prague University of Economics and Business, and I thought the athletes committee could be a great opportunity to combine my passion for sport with what I study.
How did you find a way to combine your studies with your passion for sport?
At the moment, I am working on my bachelor’s thesis, regarding Sports Diplomacy (The Role of Athletes in the Governance of International Sports Federations: A Case Study of the ISSF and ESC – An Analysis of the Influence and Barriers of Czech Sports Diplomacy). I did the interviews with athletes who are members of committees, as well as with candidates who were not successful and some Czech athletes. I also asked them how they perceived the fairness and transparency of the election process, what their visions and plans were, and whether they are interested in the work of the committees at all. Based on this, I thought it would be a good idea to run for the committee myself. I study a field that is related to this, and I would like to stay involved in sport in the future and so I see it as a great combination, and I think it can help me while also giving me some valuable experience.
What do you expect from your candidacy?
I think it is definitely something that can give me a lot, but at the same time, I also have something to offer the committee. I believe I am able to communicate well with people in general, I like to talk. But I don’t think it would be always easy whether it comes to finding a consensus or managing the time commitment.
What do you think athletes need the most?
I think greater transparency in sharing information would be helpful, because I don't think there is enough of it at the moment. It is not really possible to find for example the minutes from some of the meetings and I think many athletes would appreciate having access to this information.
What has your experience been with communication from the commission?
We have group chats, divided into rifle, pistol and shotgun athletes. From time to time, we receive a questionnaire asking us to evaluate the preparation for a World Cup, but that is basically the only communication we receive from the commission or at least how I perceive that. I don't want to speak for all athletes, but last year there was a change of the rules in the finals. In smallbore, the time limit and the number of shots were changed, while in rapid-fire pistol and shotgun, the number of finalists was increased from six to eight. Air rifle and sport pistol remained the same. As rifle athletes, we had the opportunity to submit our own proposal for how the final could be organized, athletes were able to participate in the trials and try different formats of the final. I am not sure how this worked in the other disciplines. I spoke to a few athletes who were also affected by the changes, and they didn’t know that we, as rifle athletes, had had the opportunity to come up with our own proposal for the change of the rules.
Why should athletes vote for you?
I would say, I am in general able to communicate with different types of people, and I enjoy discussing. I am always happy to discuss different issues, and I am open to finding compromises and solutions rather than pushing my own point of view. My language skills could also be a great advantage. I speak English and French, and I also have some basic knowledge of German and Italian. I think this can be useful for the work in the committee. Another advantage would definitely be being able to use the insights and experience from my studies and apply what I have learned at the university.
Autor: Zeman Tadeáš,
Čas poslední změny 09.10.26 16:19