An Ad Hoc Commission is set to be created by the ISSF to identify the timing of their return, with the worldwide governing body insisting that shooters from the two countries must adhere to "strict conditions of eligibility" to be able to be readmitted.

The decision by the ISSF Executive Committee comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended last month that competitors from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to return to the global sporting stage as individual neutral athletes as long as certain conditions are followed.

These include not having publicly supported Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine or being contracted to the Russian or Belarusian militaries or national security agencies.

"First, and foremost the Executive Committee members reiterated their unlimited solidarity with the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian shooting community, whose pain and suffering are beyond imagination," a statement from the ISSF read.

"The Executive Committee members, therefore, fully support all measures and sanctions imposed by the IOC against athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus.

"At the same time, the Executive Committee supports the arguments mentioned by the IOC with respect to the proposed return of athletes, who are to no extent involved in the war.

"The Executive Committee agreed to create an Ad Hoc Commission to explore the timeline for the return of these athletes under strict conditions of eligibility.

"The ISSF will work in close collaboration with the IOC and ASOIF [Association of Summer Olympic International Federations] on drafting respective eligibility rules, defining the independent review process necessary to also ensure that only neutral athletes, who are not contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies may be considered."

The ISSF also stressed the need for a "clear commitment" from the National Federations of Russia and Belarus to "cooperate with the process by providing information on athletes, when requested in course of the review process".

Russian and Belarusian shooters have not competed on the international stage since the ISSF banned them from all of its events in March last year in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Russia was also stripped of the hosting rights of the 2022 European Shooting Championships and this year’s World Championships.

The ISSF had been led by Russian billionaire Vladimir Lisin for four years before his election defeat last December, losing to Italian Luciano Rossi.

Lisin, reportedly worth $25.4 billion (£21.2 billion/€24.6 billion), had refused to step down from his role leading the ISSF, despite calls from some countries for him to consider his position following Russia's invasion of Ukraine and his alleged close links to Putin.

Novolipetsk, the steel company owned by Lisin, had been linked with supplying materials for the Russian military and used in the war on Ukraine.

Shooting is the latest Olympic sport to adhere to the IOC’s recommendations.

Others include archery, fencing, modern pentathlon, skateboarding, table tennis, taekwondo, triathlon and wrestling who have also opted to allow athletes from the two countries to return.

Athletics, badminton, basketball, equestrian, sport climbing and surfing have decided to maintain their bans on Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in their events.