America's Cup
Bon dia Barcelona!
PHOTOS AC37; C GREGORY
As the vibrant Catalonian capital gets set to host the next America’s Cup, we look at why the decision was made and what happens next
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he announcement that the 37th America’s Cup is to be held in Barcelona, Spain in 2024, was met with mixed reaction by the global sailing community, as the Defender Emirates Team New Zealand dramatically declared the choice of venue a day ahead of schedule. It’s news that’s been eagerly awaited since the Kiwis successfully retained the Auld Mug on home waters in March 2021; within minutes of their victory the debate around the next venue had begun raging. But posturing aside, in accordance with the Deed of Gift, the final decision was always in the JUNE 2022 Sailing Today with Yachts & Yachting
hands of the team and their club, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. Amidst huge controversy (see p31) team CEO Grant Dalton has insisted that his overseas search for financial security is to ensure they can stage a successful defence, and is firmly in New Zealand’s longer term interests. And his rationale in choosing Barcelona was no less philanthropic; he fronted the announcement by saying: “As Defender of the America’s Cup, we have always felt the responsibility to grow the event, the audience, and the sport of sailing on a global scale and certainly having the event hosted in a significant city such as Barcelona will allow us to propel the growth trajectory on the global sporting stage.”
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Barcelona won the bid and will host the 37th America's Cup in 2024
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For the British team, this will be their third consecutive campaign
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Sir Ben Ainslie says he is supportive of the venue choice
Emirates Team New Zealand Principal Matteo de Nora afterwards told press that Barcelona showed “exceptional enthusiasm” and “met a broader set of requirements than the other candidate locations”. Although no details have been revealed, Dalton has made it clear that all of the shortlisted bidders met the minimum financial requirements. But Barcelona’s support for sustainability, equality, social impact and technological innovations in line with this Cup’s forward-thinking Protocol were lauded, and have no doubt been key in edging the win over others in the final running; which included the Saudi Arabian venue of Jeddah, Spanish rival Malaga, and the Irish city of Cork.
