World Sailing plans to sanction any host nations who do not grant equal participation in competitions following an investigation into the actions of Malaysia, which restricted Israeli windsurfers from competing in the Youth World Sailing Championship earlier this month.
“In [the] future, the organizers of all international sailing competitions will be required to comply with specific conditions to ensure that all competitors from all countries can participate equally,” said Gary Jobson, World Sailing’s vice president, in a statement.
“If these conditions are not met, specific sanctions will be applied to any future international sailing competitions held in that country,” he said.
The Israel Sailing Association informed World Sailing last month that Israeli windsurfers Yoav Omer and Noy Drihan, as well as coach Meir Yaniv, could not compete under the Israeli flag in Malaysia nor use any symbols affiliated with Israel.
The Israeli team also did not receive their visas to travel to Malaysia prior to the event.
