Ethics & Integrity Policies

Codes and policies are tightly tied to the World Sailing Constitution.

World Sailing has a Code of Ethics along with the Rules of Procedure of the Ethics Commission.

The Council appoints an Ethics Commission, which is comprised of a majority of independent members.

If you wish to make a complaint concerning a potential breach of the Code of Ethics, please send it to the Chief Executive Officer (who must forward it to the Commission).

Under the Code of Ethics, results of investigations by the Commission are published. As of November 2021, there are no investigation reports to publish.

World Sailing has adopted this Code as a vital measure to safeguard the integrity of the sport of sailing. The primary objectives include prohibiting any conduct that may improperly impact the outcome of events and competitions, and establishing a robust mechanism for enforcement and sanctions against those who place the integrity of the sport at risk.

Acknowledging the global threat to sports integrity posed by the manipulation of competitions, World Sailing reaffirms its commitment to protecting clean athletes and competitions, as outlined in Olympic Agenda 2020 and the Olympic Agenda 2020+5.

Recognising the complexity of this threat, World Sailing emphasizes the importance of cooperation with public authorities, particularly law enforcement and sports betting entities, to effectively address and combat these challenges.

The Code was adopted at the 2023 Annual Conference and forms Appendix 5 of the Regulations.

World Sailing is committed to conducting itself with honesty and integrity, and it expects all its members, officers, volunteers, race officials and staff to maintain high standards of behaviour. However, all organisations face the risk of things going wrong from time to time or unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential to prevent such situations from occurring and address them when they do occur.

Anyone can raise a concern (be they athlete, member, race official etc.) Due to UK employment law, a different policy applies to our staff raising concerns (which is notified in our Staff Handbook and equally as comprehensive).

You can find details of our whistleblowing procedures, how to raise a concern, and who to, in the whistleblowing procedures. You can also contact the Director of Legal and Governance at legal@sailing.org.

World Sailing adopts a number of policies and procedures to ensure that commercial interests do not interfere with the operation and administration of our events. World Sailing policies for:

• Fair Bid Process
• Anti-Trust
• Anti-Bribery
• Conflict of Interest (and a register of interests)

can be viewed in World Sailing Codes, Policies and Procedures.