Entry System for World Laser Master's Championship
Description of the entry process for World Laser Master's Championship.
In order to improve the entry process and overall safety at the championships the ILCA World Council has introduced a new allocated entry system for all World Laser Masters championships from and including 2009. The system will work as follows: 
- All sailors who wish to attend the championship shall register themselves using the "Application for Entry Form" on the ILCA website before the end of the "Application for Entry" period. Applying for an entry provides no guarantee of being offered a place.
- After the "Application for Entry" period has ended all International contacts will be asked to rank sailors from their country that have completed an application form for entry based on the qualification and/or ranking system that may be applicable in the country.
- The new ILCA entry system will automatically issue entry codes directly to the sailors ranked by the International contact that fall within the number of allocated places issued to the country. If more sailors in a country have applied than there are allocated places available the remaining applicants will be placed onto a waiting list for any possible extra places. If less sailors in a country make an application for entry than the number of allocated places issued to the country then the non-used places will be cancelled. The International contact can also decline a sailors application for entry at this time. All sailors will be informed automatically by email to the address provided by the sailor when submitting their application for entry, on one of the three possible outcomes - an allocated place offered, entry application added to the extra place request waiting list or application declined by the country.
- An application can be declined by a country for a variety of reasons, for example, if the sailor is not a current member of their National Laser Association and therefore not member of ILCA or if the International contact does not have confidence that he/she is a competent sailor capable of racing a Laser in open water in 25 knot winds.
- Sailors offered an entry will have a three week period in which to complete entry including full payment.
Possible Questions:
1) If a sailor wants to enter after the end of the "Application for Entry" period is this possible and what will happen?
Late application can be made. Sailors who submit an application for entry after the "Application for Entry" period will be entered into a different list and will not be automatically entered into the waiting list for any extra places. International contacts will need to process any late applications deciding if these sailors should be entered into the list for requesting extra places or if the application should be declined. There will not be an opportunity to offer late applications an allocated place.
2) Can an International contact or other person complete an application for entry on behalf of a sailor?
Yes, it is preferred that a sailor make his or her application themselves but if this is not possible someone else could make the application on the sailors behalf.
3) Our country qualifications do not complete until after the sailors should be ranked in the new system. Can our country still use its allocated places?
A country can request to ILCA that its allocated places be held in reserve due to late qualifications. ILCA will require the country to make payment for all of the allocated places to be held in reserve, this money will be returned once the sailors make entry. If a place is reserved and a sailor does not make entry the money paid to ILCA to reserve this place will not be returned. As such countries should only reserve the number of places they will definitely require.
4) We have more sailors interested than issued allocated places and our qualifications finish after all sailors should be ranked. Is it possible to reserve more than our allocated places?
It is only possible to reserve the allocated places. However countries can add anonymous applications for the desired number of extra places to the system. If extra places become available they will be reserved until the countries qualifications have completed. These further reserved places will require payment from the country to be have them held in reserve. This payment will again be returned upon a sailor completing entry but not returned if the place is not used.
5) How can a country reserve places if they do not have the funds to be able to guarantee payment?
If a country does not have the funds they can ask sailors to pay a deposit directly to their National Laser Association. This deposit could then be used to reserve places with ILCA as described in questions 3 and 4 above.