Cases are official interpretations and explanations that clarify the meaning of a rule or increase the understanding of a complex rule. The rules, changes to the rules and cases are adopted by ISAF's Council based upon recommendation of the Racing Rules Committee. This means that the Racing Rules of Sailing and ISAF Cases are authoritative. International Judges are required to fol-low ISAF Rules and Cases when interpreting the rules. The international body governing the sport of sailboat racing is the International Sailing Federation.
Many national authorities have additional responsibilities such as cruising and powerboat racing.
National authorities often prescribe additional rules to the racing rules. These prescriptions are brought into the Sailing Instructions as governing rules for most racing within the jurisdiction of the national authority and rarely invoked for international events. The body that plans and runs the event. The organising authority may be a club, a class association, a national authority, the ISAF itself, or a combination of any of these. The organising authority must appoint the race committee.