The idea of a Governance Commission was approved at World Sailing’s 2017 Annual Conference in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.

New Zealand's Maria Clarke, a sports lawyer and sports governance expert who has previously worked with the International Association of Athletics Federations and has recently been appointed chair of the International Paralympic Committee's governance review, has been appointed as the independent chair of the Commission.

World Sailing vice-president Jan Dawson, Philip Baum, Malav Shroff, Sarah Teseder and Luis Velasco make up the remaining members of the Commission.

The creation of the Governance Commission is claimed to be in line with World Sailing's two-year governance modernisation roadmap created in May 2016 and focussing on meeting the standards of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations.

The Commission, due to hold its first full in-person meeting in London this month, is tasked with undertaking a review of the governance structure of World Sailing.

It will then make recommendations to the Board in a bid to modernise World Sailing’s governance.

The Commission will also review the complexity and timeliness of the World Sailing decision making progress and propose specific measures for developing the best sports governance practice.

Additionally, it will consider and recommend changes in composition, powers, functions and procedures before it is due to report them to the Board and Council in November.

The final presentation will then be delivered to the board in February next year before being put forward for final approval at the 2019 Annual Conference in Hamilton in Bermuda.