Federación Venezolana de Vela

What is the Federación Venezolana de Vela?

The Federación Venezolana de Vela is the national federation for sailing in Venezuela. The Comité Olímpico Venezolano (COV) lists it under that name among the “Federaciones inscritas en el Comité Olímpico Venezolano”, with Erika Hurtado as president and @fevvela as its contact handle.^[1]

World Sailing names the Federación Venezolana de Vela among its member national authorities. Its constitution defines a member national authority as “an organization, whether incorporated or unincorporated, controlling the sport of yachting or sailing in any country”.^[2] Under Venezuela’s Ley Orgánica de Deporte, Actividad Física y Educación Física of 2011, a national sports federation is an entity of private law for the promotion and development of its sport at national level.^[4]

What does the federation govern or do?

Obligations to World Sailing. Article 6 of the World Sailing Constitution binds each member national authority “to carry out and have respect for the rules, Regulations and decisions of the Federation” and to use reasonable endeavours to persuade others “within their area of jurisdiction” to refrain from acting against them.^[2]

Games nominations. US Sailing’s selection notice for the 2025 Junior Pan American Games defines the member national authority as “the organization in each Pan American country recognized by World Sailing as the national governing body for the sport of sailing”; in the United States’ case that body, US Sailing, nominates the athletes.^[3]

Powers under Venezuelan law. Article 49 of the 2011 sports law gives national federations the direction of their sport’s activity, technical standards, disciplinary authority and the organisation of competitions.^[4]

When was the federation founded and where is it based?

The COV directory gives the federation’s current president, Erika Hurtado, and its contact handle, @fevvela.^[1]

The federation’s membership of the world body appears in the World Sailing Constitution as it stood on 1 October 2021, where the “Federación Venezolana de Vela” is listed in Group O alongside, among others, the Federación Colombiana de Vela, the Federación Mexicana de Vela, the Federación Dominicana de Vela and the Federación de Vela de Puerto Rico.^[2] The COV directory of October 2026 carries the same name, Federación Venezolana de Vela.^[1] As a national federation under the 2011 sports law, it is a private-law entity of national scope, made up of the members of the state sports associations.^[4]

How is the federation recognised?

World body. The World Sailing Constitution (as at 1 October 2021) lists the Federación Venezolana de Vela in Schedule A, Group O, “North South America, Central America and Caribbean”.^[2] Full membership, under Article 4(a), is membership “granted to a National Authority”.^[2]

Council group. Membership places the federation in one of the constitution’s geographical groups: Group O, which also includes the sailing federations of Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and which Schedule A entitles to appoint two members of the World Sailing Council.^[2]

COV. The Comité Olímpico Venezolano lists the Federación Venezolana de Vela among the federations registered with it.^[1]

Venezuelan law. Article 48 of the 2011 sports law defines national federations as private-law entities of national scope.^[4]

What does the federation organise?

Council representation. Under Article 40(a) and Schedule A of the World Sailing Constitution, each geographical group of member national authorities “shall be entitled to appoint the number of members to the Council shown opposite its group”; the Federación Venezolana de Vela is listed in Group O.^[2] Each member national authority may be represented by a delegate at the federation’s general meetings (Article 25.1).^[2]

Games selection. For the Junior Pan American Games of 2025 in Asunción, sailing was held in one-person dinghy (ILCA 7 and ILCA 6), iQFOiL windsurfing and Formula Kite, each with men’s and women’s events.^[3] Organising competitions is among a national federation’s attributions under the 2011 law.^[4]

Who are its members?

Under Article 48 of the 2011 sports law, Venezuelan national federations “están constituidas por los integrantes de las asociaciones deportivas estadales” — they are made up of the members of the state sports associations — and may in exceptional circumstances be formed directly by the members of clubs.^[4] Article 44 defines a state association as a private-law entity made up of the clubs that promote a sport in that state.^[4]

The federation is in turn a member body: World Sailing counts it among its member national authorities,^[2] and the COV lists it among the national federations registered with the committee.^[1]