1. 2025-2028
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Section C
MISCONDUCT
69. MISCONDUCT
69.1. Obligation not to Commit Misconduct; Resolution
  1. A competitor, boat owner or support person shall not commit an act of misconduct.
  2. Misconduct is: 
    1. conduct that is a breach of good manners, a breach of good sportsmanship, or unethical behaviour; or
    2. conduct that may bring, or has brought, the sport into disrepute.
  3. An allegation of a breach of rule 69.1(a) shall be resolved in accordance with the provisions of rule 69. It shall not be grounds for a protest. 
69.2. Action by a Protest Committee
  1. A protest committee acting under this rule shall have at least three members.  
  2. When a protest committee, from its own observation or from information received from any source, including evidence taken during a hearing, believes a person may have broken rule 69.1(a), it shall decide whether or not to call a hearing.
  3. When the protest committee needs more information to make the decision to call a hearing, it shall consider appointing a person or persons to conduct an investigation. These investigators shall not be members of the protest committee that will decide the matter.
  4. When an investigator is appointed, all relevant information he gathers, favourable or unfavourable, shall be disclosed to the protest committee, and if the protest committee decides to call a hearing, to the parties.
  5. If the protest committee decides to call a hearing, it shall promptly inform the person in writing of the alleged breach and of the time and place of the hearing and follow the procedures in rules 63, except that: 
    1. unless a person has been appointed by World Sailing, a person may be appointed by the protest committee to present the allegation.
    2. a person against whom an allegation has been made under this rule shall be entitled to have an advisor and a representative with him who may act on his behalf.
  6. If a party 
    1. provides good reason why he is unable to come to the hearing at the scheduled time, the protest committee shall reschedule it; or
    2. does not provide good reason and does not come to the hearing, the protest committee may conduct it without the party present.
  7. The standard of proof to be applied is the test of the comfortable satisfaction of the protest committee, bearing in mind the seriousness of the alleged misconduct. However, if the standard of proof in this rule conflicts with the laws of a country, the national authority may, with the approval of World Sailing, change it with a prescription to this rule.
  8. When the protest committee decides that a competitor or boat owner has broken rule 69.1(a), it may take one or more of the following actions 
    1. issue a warning;
    2. change their boat’s score in one or more races, including disqualification(s) that may or may not be excluded from her series score;
    3. exclude the person from the event or venue or remove any privileges or benefits; and
    4. take any other action within its jurisdiction as provided by the rules.
  9. When the protest committee decides that a support person has broken rule 69.1(a), rules 62.3 and 62.4 apply.
  10. If the protest committee 
    1. imposes a penalty greater than one DNE;
    2. excludes the person from the event or venue; or
    3. in any other case if it considers it appropriate,it shall report its findings, including the facts found, its conclusions and decision to the national authority of the person or, for specific international events listed in the World Sailing Regulations, to World Sailing. If the protest committee has acted under rule 69.2(f)(2), the report shall also include that fact and the reasons for it. 
  11. If the protest committee decides not to conduct the hearing without the party present, or if the protest committee has left the event and a report alleging a breach of rule 69.1(a) is received, the race committee or organizing authority may appoint the same or a new protest committee to proceed under this rule. If it is impractical for the protest committee to conduct a hearing, it shall collect all available information and, if the allegation seems justified, make a report to the national authority of the person or, for specific international events listed in the World Sailing Regulations, to World Sailing.

69.3. Action by a National Authority and World Sailing
The disciplinary powers, procedures and responsibilities of national authorities and World Sailing that apply are specified in the World Sailing Code of Ethics. National authorities and World Sailing may impose further penalties, including suspension of eligibility, under that code.
Section D
APPEALS
70. APPEALS AND REQUESTS TO A NATIONAL AUTHORITY
  
70.1.
Unless rule 70.3 applies, a party to a hearing has the right to appeal the protest committee’s decision or its procedures, but not the facts found, to the national authority. In addition, a party may appeal when the protest committee has failed to hold a hearing or to make a decision.
70.2.
A protest committee may request confirmation or correction of its
decision by the national authority.  
70.3.
There is no right to appeal decisions:
  1. of an international jury properly constituted under Appendix N,
  2. that are essential to promptly determine the result of a race that will qualify a boat to compete in a later stage of an event or a subsequent event (and the national authority may prescribe that its approval is required for the use of this rule),
  3. made at an event open only to boats entered by 
    1. an organization affiliated to the national authority, or a member of such an organization, or 
    2. a personal member of the national authority, provided the national authority has granted its approval for the use of this rule, or
  4. made at an event by a protest committee constituted as required by Appendix N, except that only two members of the protest committee need be International Judges, and provided that the national authority has granted its approval to the use of this rule after consultation with World Sailing.
However, (b), (c) and (d) shall only apply if specified in the notice of race or sailing instructions.
70.4.
In rules 70 to 72, the national authority means the one to which the organizing authority is associated under rule 89.1. However, if boats will pass through the waters of more than one national authority while racing, an appeal or request shall be sent to the national authority where the finishing line is located, unless the sailing instructions identify another national authority.
70.5.
Appeals and requests shall conform to Appendix R.
70.6.
Appeals and requests shall conform to Appendix R.
71. NATIONAL AUTHORITY DECISIONS
71.1.
A person who has a conflict of interest or was a member of the protest committee shall not take any part in the discussion or decision on an appeal or a request for confirmation or correction.
71.2.
The national authority shall accept the facts found by the protest committee unless rule <%= rule_ink('R5') %> applies.
71.3.
The national authority may:
  1. uphold, change or reverse the protest committee’s decision (including a decision on validity or a decision under rule 69),
  2. order that the hearing be reopened, or
  3. order that a new hearing be held by the same protest committee or by a new protest committee (which may be appointed by the national authority).
71.4.
If the national authority orders a hearing to be reopened, it may limit the scope of the reopened hearing to such issues as it considers appropriate.
71.5.
If the national authority decides that a boat that was a party to a protest hearing broke a rule and is not exonerated, it shall penalize her, whether or not that boat or that rule was mentioned in the protest committee’s decision.
71.6.
The decision of the national authority is final. The national authority shall send its decision in writing to all parties to the hearing and the protest committee, who shall be bound by the decision.
72. INTERPRETATIONS
A club or other organization affiliated to a national authority may request an interpretation of the rules from the national authority, provided that no protest committee decision that may be appealed is involved. An interpretation shall not be used to change a previous protest committee decision.
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