Before an event begins, the chair and vice-chair of the protest committee have a variety of tasks to perform or allocate, and items to check.

The chair has no authority over an organizing authority but has considerable influence if the relationship can be kept supportive. When possible, the chair should tactfully ensure that the organizing authority is aware of its responsibilities with respect to the protest committee.

The main pre-event responsibilities fall to the chair and vice-chair, but if other members can help, the protest committee will be that much better prepared.

Specific pre-event tasks of the chair and vice-chair include:

Rule N2 lists the responsibilities of the international jury. Rules N2.2 and N2.3 list the additional responsibilities that may be given to the international jury, as required by the organizing authority.

An international jury is independent of, and includes no member of, the race committee or technical committee. A prudent protest committee can suggest improvements and ideas about courses and other race committee matters to the principal race officer but should not attempt to influence the race committee’s decisions. This avoids a conflict of interest when judging a request for redress involving an action of the race committee.

The notice of race is, in effect, an agreement or contract between the organizers of the event and the competitors. The organizing authority sets out the conditions under which they are prepared to run the event.

It is therefore important that the notice of race contains the information necessary to enable a competitor to decide whether to invest the time, effort and money to compete in the event. Competitors need information on variations from the racing rules, advertising, eligibility (crew weight restrictions, nationality, measurement or rating certificates, etc.), type of courses, alternative penalties, scoring, and prizes, together with the other requirements of rule J1. Use Appendix J and the notice of race guide published on the World Sailing website to review the notice of race and ensure that all the required information is covered using the standard wording as much as possible.

If an event management system with an online official notice board is used for competitors to access documents or to submit requests (hearing, scoring, crew or equipment substitution, etc.), the notice of race should mention the requirements to access the platform (e.g., a smartphone with internet connection). Specific platform details can be specified later.

However, even after a thorough effort, changes to the notice of race may be necessary. Examples could include the harbor blocked by a vessel or available radio frequencies changed by government authority. In most cases competitors will understand and accept the change; but changes must be kept to a minimum. Changes that could have made a competitor decide not to attend may lead to redress claims.

If there is conflict between the notice of race, the sailing instructions or any of the other documents that govern the event, good practice is to amend the notice of race and/or sailing instructions, or both, as soon as the conflict is discovered.

The chair and vice-chair of the protest committee and, if possible, the other members, should review the sailing instructions before the final draft is agreed upon. Members should send their comments to the chair, who reviews them before submitting them to the race committee. All members of the protest committee should review the final document so that any changes can be suggested to the race committee before the event starts. However, last-minute changes should be limited to only those required to sail the event.

At least two weeks before travel, the chair should contact other members of the protest committee to welcome them. The protest committee chair should consider how the protest committee will operate, decide when the first protest committee meeting will be held and allocate and communicate tasks to the protest committee members. This will enable them to plan their travel well in advance and to come to the event well prepared. A brief draft agenda for the first protest committee meeting will help the less experienced judges who are then able to see the topics to be discussed and be well prepared to contribute to them.

These tasks will vary according to the type of event, and the size of the protest committee. At most events it is useful to establish a shared document repository (e.g. Dropbox or Google Drive) with all the applicable rules, notice templates, a spreadsheet with protest committee member tasks, and information about any online systems that the protest committee will be expected to use at the event. The protest committee chair should take account of the experience of each of the committee members, any requirement to conduct international judge reference assessments and local language considerations. It is good practice to ask committee members for their task preferences and, if possible, take these into account when allocating tasks.

Notice of race and sailing instructions. This task involves reviewing the notice of race, sailing instructions and other documents governing the event prior to the event. At the event, ensure that any amendments are made available to all members of the protest committee.

Liaison with the organizing authority. This task is usually performed by the chair; however, local language considerations can sometimes make it more appropriate for the task to be allocated to a person who speaks the local language.

Liaison with the race committee. This task usually involves attending a daily meeting and communicating the intentions of the race committee back to the protest committee. Agree on which committee will post the protest time limits after racing each day. It may also involve the diplomatic communication of any issues that the protest committee decides should be drawn to the attention of the race committee. This task is sometimes all cated to a member who is also a qualified race officer.

Liaison with the technical committee. This task is ongoing communications with the technical committee on issues of measurement and class rules that arise during the event.

Questions and answers. This task is to lead a subset of the protest committee in receiving written questions to the protest committee and preparing answers to be published on the official notice board.

Hearing management. This task is to oversee the receipt of requests for hearing, appoint panels, schedule hearings and arbitrations as appropriate, and to ensure that all related notices are posted in accordance with the rules and that any changes to scores are communicated to the scorer. This task will vary depending on whether a jury secretary is provided by the organizing authority.

On-the-water assignments. If Appendix P applies, then on-the-water judge assignments are decided for each day. This needs to take account of any existing rotation policies, the experience of each judge and any international judge reference assessments being conducted.

Course chiefs. At events with multiple classes, one judge is assigned to each course to manage the on-the-water activities of the judges on the course and to communicate with the course race officer.

Rule 42 infringement schedules. When Appendix P applies, this task is to gather the infringements, post them as required by the sailing instructions, and communicate any scoring changes to the scorer.

Boats and radios. This task is to manage the on-the-water equipment assigned to the protest committee: boats, boat keys, radios, on-water safety equipment, flags, docking and refueling arrangements. This is usually best allocated to a local judge who speaks the local language and understands local customs.

Notice board. This task is to ensure that the event notice boards and websites are displaying the correct information in accordance with the rules, and that any changes to the scores from the protest committee are in the results.

Systems lead. This task is assigned to a member who has experience with and is most familiar with the event management system (such as RacingRulesOfSailing.org) being used at the event. This includes any event management software, event websites, document repositories (such as Dropbox, Drive etc.) and communications systems (such as Telegram, WhatsApp etc.). The task is to establish how these systems are intended to be used, ensuring they  are set up correctly and assisting or training other protest committee members accordingly.

Tracking systems (including official video and data collection). If the event is using any of the above, then a member liaises with the team that manages the tracking systems, video and data collection. Understanding the limitations or advantages of these systems is essential in any hearings where they are submitted as evidence.

Travel reimbursements. This task is to ensure that all members of the protest committee submit their travel expense claims to the organizing authority, and that reimbursements are paid either at the event, or through an arrangement that is communicated to all.

Judge development. This optional but important task is for larger protest committees and international juries whose members have a wide range of experience. It is to organize informal daily rules talks and discussion on a current topic. Examples of topics are rule 42, procedures relating to support persons, recent rule changes, recent Q&A decisions, medal race umpiring if applicable, etc. These sessions, sometimes referred to as judge university, have proven to be of high value. The protest committee chair would ask members of the protest committee to contribute to these sessions for ongoing education.

Social, lunch and water. This task is to ensure that judges have lunches and waters to take afloat or have ashore, making arrangements for evening meals, and keeping the protest committee informed on any functions they are expected to attend.

Track good ideas for future events. This task is to note all comments, changes to the SIs, changes to practices of the protest committee, and other procedures that happened during the event. Work with the chair to compile a post-event report. Post-event report. The chair or their delegate compiles the post-event report including relevant ideas gathered throughout the event, to submit to the organizing authority.

This list is a sample only, and some of the tasks will not apply at some events. All members would also normally be expected to attend an initial competitors’ briefing, daily protest committee meetings and to be on hearing panels and conduct arbitrations when required.

The protest committee chair will arrange with the organizing authority the arrival schedule for the judges, based on the event schedule. The more members who arrive during pre-racing activities, the better. At the latest, all members should be in attendance the day before racing commences, or that morning if racing begins in the afternoon. This allows for the competitors, event staff, race management and judges to get to know each other. It also enables the protest committee to be available to respond to questions about measurement or equipment inspection or the sailing instructions and other race documentation. If it is not practical for all members to arrive early, there should be at least a majority of the panel present including either the chair or vice chair.

The facilities and equipment to be used by the protest committee at the event will need to be set up and checked. For example:

The purpose of the first meeting of the protest committee is to start to make the members into an integrated team. This first step in team building relies on giving each individual opportunity to voice their opinion with respect to any decisions and processes that are adopted for the event.

One important task is a last-minute check of the sailing instructions. However, at this late stage it is important to limit any proposed changes to those that are essential. Any changes thought necessary to the sailing instructions must be made by the race committee. Diplomacy during this first interaction is very important. A cooperative first experience between the race committee and the protest committee will often lead to respect between the two bodies over the event.

The task list with allocated areas of responsibility for each judge can serve as the agenda for pre-race meetings where each jury member should lead discussion of their allocated area, and where any concerns can be addressed before going afloat. Members who attend other meetings must report back each day, so that any necessary actions can be taken.

Many events now use online systems which include an official notice board so that competitors can access it remotely. The event might also have a traditional official notice board. It is important to establish which of the two governs, and to so state in the sailing instructions.

If other meetings are planned with competitors, support people, and other race officials, an agenda for these meetings should be agreed.

If Appendix P for judging rule 42 is in place, the jury should discuss the most frequently observed breaches and class-specific rules, and positioning of the jury vessels on the water.

The protest committee should also discuss its operational policies. Discuss when to protest a boat, deciding discretionary penalties (if invoked by the sailing instructions) and consistency in decisions about redress by different jury panels.

All meetings should be short, to the point and should include decisions. Any actions should be followed through to ensure completion.

A meeting should be arranged before racing begins between the protest committee and the chair of the race committee, the principal race officer, the chair of the technical committee, the safety officer and other key event personnel. The objective of this meeting is to develop a spirit of cooperation as well as a level of mutual understanding and respect, while outlining some procedural details (e.g. how to post the protest time limits and who should do it). The chair or representative of the protest committee should also meet with the technical committee and review the wet clothing control equipment and equipment weighing procedure, if being used.

The protest committee should communicate with the race committee only through the chair or their appointee. The chair should speak to the race committee only through its principal race officer or someone delegated by them. This helps to avoid competitors receiving conflicting instructions and reduces the possibility of a request for redress.

Many events feature a competitors' briefing. Its main purpose is to introduce the key individuals of the race committee, technical committee and protest committee to the competitors. This will allow a competitor to know who to speak to for help solving a problem during the event.

Anyone from the organizing committee, race committee or protest committee could chair the meeting. The meeting should be held in English if the competitors speak different languages. This means that the chair of the meeting should be proficient in English and be experienced with speaking to multi-lingual groups.

The following points in relation to the service provided by the protest committee will help to promote an atmosphere of friendliness, fairness, and impartiality:

Remind youth or less experienced competitors of the importance of taking a penalty promptly for breaking a rule, whether or not the boat is protested. Also remind them of the penalties in rule 44 for breaking a rule of Part 2 or hitting a mark. Stress the importance of one or both boats protesting after a collision when no penalty is taken.

Competitors often ask questions concerning a sailing instruction or some other event procedure question. Great care must be taken in responding. While the protest committee wants to help competitors by answering their questions quickly, questions are often more complicated than they first appear. If the answer is not obvious, it is best to ask the competitor to submit the question in writing, so the protest committee can give it proper attention, and answer in writing. It is also helpful to emphasize that no answer to a question becomes official until both the question and answer are posted on the official notice board.

Treat all support persons with respect. Remember that coaches and team leaders are often professionals. It is common for an Olympic team coach to attend world championships in four or five different classes in one year. This gives them a unique understanding of what specific issues are currently being discussed and might arise during the event.

The organizing authority will often arrange a meeting of support persons before racing begins and, if possible, each morning during the event. The protest committee chair or their representative should attend these meetings, if possible.

Such meetings provide an informal interface between the competitors, the race management team and the protest committee, but in no way do they replace official communications to competitors posted on the official notice board. These regular meetings provide an opportunity for competitors to offer constructive suggestions, either directly or through their coaches.

Discussions with a coach often can prevent problems from occurring. One example is that, through the discussion, a coach may work with a competitor to change the kind of behavior that is approaching the stage of a breach of sportsmanship.

The media play an important part in any event. Journalists and others involved in communicating with the public are an essential part of the sport. Every assistance and cooperation should be accorded to the media without compromising the fairness of the competition. The chair is usually the person who communicates with the media to represent the protest committee.

An investigator ideally should be appointed before the event, just in case an allegation is made under rule 69. The investigator must be free of any conflict of interest, so great care is needed in making the appointment. If necessary, it could be one of the judges, as the minimum requirement for the panel for the hearing is only three members. If so, factors such as the issue leading to the report, age, gender, language and country of the participants, and balance of the remaining protest committee could influence the decision. An investigator who presents the case in a hearing becomes a party as per the Definitions and cannot then take part in panel discussions or in making any decisions. Refer to the section on rules 2 and 69 in this Manual and to the World Sailing Misconduct Guidance document available on the World Sailing website. (Search “misconduct”, click submit, and select “Documents”.)