SAL and representatives of other shooting federations are expected to take up their case at CAS after the agenda for the ESC General Assembly, due to take place here in Azerbaijan's capital on October 21, did not make any explicit reference to the Finnish proposal "to discharge the ESC Presidium with immediate effect"

"We decided that we will take the case to the international court of appeals, i.e. CAS as quickly as possible," SAL President Vesa Nissinen told the Finnish newspaper Iltahleti. 

"We asked them to find out if the management has acted in accordance with good operating models, when the matter demanded by the majority has not been put on the agenda."

Clause 10 of the ESC agenda under the heading, "Proposals of the Member Federations," stated only, "Review committee’s recommendations and Presidium’s decisions and Information and discussion about Member Federations’ Proposals and improvement of the ESC governance."

The regulations permit a 21-day window from publication of the agenda to make a challenge.

The Russian-born Ratner, who has led the ESC since October 2021, had published the document on August 21.

SAL had previously called for a secret electronic vote and an Extraordinary General Assembly to hold fresh elections.

Last month, Ratner had instructed German law practice Summerer, Kranz and Sofing to issue a notice to "Cease and Desist" against SAL, the Danish shooting Union and International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) President Luciano Rossi.

This which carried a threat of court proceedings in respect of respect of "Defamation of the President and threat of removal of the President of the European Shooting Confederation".

The SAL had complained about Ratner’s conduct before and during the 2022 ISSF General Assembly when he was still general secretary,

Ratner had been ISSF secretary general of the world governing body until midway through event when he quit following the defeat as President of Russian oligarch Vladimir Lisin. 

The SAL had listed Ratner’s open support for Lisin, allegedly involved in supplying steel to help build tanks and air defence systems for the war against Ukraine. in the ISSF Presidential elections and suggested that he had not provided a proper handover after his own abrupt resignation following the election.

The list also indicated that Ratner had allowed competitions at the 2023 European Games in Wroclaw "to be conducted in a format that had been abandoned and replaced by the ISSF."

All three charges had been refuted by Ratner’s lawyers.