The US Sailing Board of Directors last week approved an amendment to the US Sailing Prescription to RRS 76.1 – Exclusion of Boats or Competitors, providing a framework for organizing authorities to exclude sailors from Russia and Belarus, in accordance with World Sailing policy, should they choose to do so.
Under the new policy, countries that may be excluded are listed on the US Sailing website. Currently, citizens or World Sailing ID holders from The Republic of Belarus (BLR) and The Russian Federation (RUS) MNAs may be excluded.
US Sailing will exclude sailors, officials and coaches from these countries from its own events but will allow participation by dual citizens and Permanent Residents (green card holders) who have applied to be naturalized US citizens. The policy offers guidance to organizing authorities and race committees that may need to decide whether to allow sailors from these countries to participate in their events.
The amended prescription to RRS 76.1 states:
US Sailing prescribes that an organizing authority or race committee shall not reject or cancel the entry of a boat or exclude a competitor eligible under the notice of race and sailing instructions for an arbitrary or capricious reason or for reason of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or age.
However, an organizing authority or race committee may exclude a competitor who is a citizen of, or holds a World Sailing ID as an MNA member of, a country listed on the US Sailing website at https://www.ussailing.org/exclusion.
For more information and guidance, please visit https://www.ussailing.org/exclusion or contact the Race Administration office at raceadmin@ussailing.org.