What is World Sailing?
World Sailing is the sport's world governing body — founded in Paris in 1907 as the International Yacht Racing Union, renamed in 2015, based in London with 140+ member national authorities (US Sailing in the States), and led since 2020 by Quanhai Li.[1] [2]
What does it govern?
The Racing Rules of Sailing revised each quadrennium; the Olympic classes and the Games regatta; class world championships and the sailor rankings; offshore special regulations; and para sailing — the framework beneath every organizer from the Cup to club racing.[2] [3]
Why does it matter?
Every sanctioned race in the world sails under its rules, and Olympic-class rankings, world titles and records form sailing's official credential trail.[2] [3]
References
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — Sailing (governance). Accessed August 2026.
- World Sailing — official site. Accessed August 2026.
- World Sailing — inside World Sailing. Accessed August 2026.