In the US, the Laser had so many competitors who wanted to compete at the Olympic Trials, that qualification events were needed. The vast majority of the competitors out there know drastically less about the rules now than ever before. This is only partially a result of the new rules being new. I started racing in 1989, and within one year, I had a solid understanding of the rules. When you have two boats that want to occupy the same space, the distinction should be crystal clear about who gets it.
Sailing is a game, and like all games, rules are what define the edges.
The new rules do not define crisp edges and so make the outcome of many moves in the game really unpredictable. I wasn't present on the boat, or at the protest hearing, but it is my understanding they disallowed the protest on the grounds that the rescued sailors were not officially in the race. Not only does this fly in the face of human character and dignity, but it is also in direct violation of our own sailing rules. I don't really see that they had to attend the meeting for the committee to be able to make the obvious decision. At any rate, this needs to be fixed.