Political wrangling and last minute bids have caused a delay to the 37th America’s Cup venue announcement. Helen Fretter reports Photo: ACE \/ Studio BorlenghiThe much anticipated announcement of venue for the 37th America\u2019s Cup, due to be unveiled today (Friday, September 17), has been postponed.
\nIn a statement made Thursday evening, Cup holders Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) together with Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), have confirmed that they are extending the selection period for shortlisted venues to provide more information to support their bids to host the next America\u2019s Cup.
\nRNZYS Commodore Aaron Young said: \u201cFor the benefit of both the 37th America\u2019s Cup and the eventual host venue, we would rather allow some more time now so we make the right decision as opposed to a rushed decision.\u201d
\nThe delay has been caused by a number of factors, not least New Zealand\u2019s ongoing strict travel limitations which have made it difficult for key personnel to visit overseas venues bidding to host the Cup.
\nBut there has also been a great deal of political wrangling in Auckland, with New Zealand businessman Mark Dunphy adding more detail to a last minute bid to keep the event in Auckland.
\nDunphy, who is CEO and chairman of Greymouth petroleum, recently called for ETNZ boss Grant Dalton to step down, so there is clearly no love lost between the pair. However, the potential for a home defence will appeal to many in New Zealand.
\nGrant Dalton of Emirates Team New Zealand lifts America\u2019s Cup after win in Bermuda 2017
\nGrant Dalton, CEO of ETNZ, commented: \u201cThe fundamental fact is that we have a number of outstanding potential venues literally going down to the wire and all of them with strong and competitive bids on the table and firmly committed to completing agreements in the coming weeks \u2013 that\u2019s a good place to be in for sure.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating not to have been able to close our agreement with a Host Venue by the planned date of 17 September as previously proposed but we are now giving ourselves more time to work through the final details of the respective venues as the current COVID situation in New Zealand has made the process more difficult.
\n\u201cAs we have always maintained throughout, however unlikely it seemed, Auckland has never been off the table for obvious reasons. So now that we finally have an 11th hour letter from Mr Dunphy, it would be remiss of us not to explore the viability of an Auckland event and if it in fact can be fully and completely funded locally. To date there has been no evidence of this being the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
INEOS Team UK commented on social media: \u201c\u2019As Challenger of Record we continue to support the Defender to negotiate a venue decision at the earliest opportunity, as we appreciate how important a decision this is for all teams looking to challenge for the 37th America\u2019s Cup.\u201d
\nThe host venue selection process for AC37 has been both fraught and widely speculated on. Bids are made, and considered, behind closed doors, with little publicly announced until the final decision. However, these are the venues known to have been in contention:
\nWhere will the 37th America\u2019s Cup be held?
\nAuckland hosted a stunning event in 2020\/21
\nAuckland
\nNew Zealand was the only nation in the world that could have hosted such a \u2018normal\u2019 and successful 36th America\u2019s Cup during Covid times, thanks to their strict border controls. However, those same border controls meant that the vast revenues predicted to have been generated through tourism, visiting superyachts, and other events related to the Cup (like the cancelled Youth America\u2019s Cup) simply never materialised.
\nSecuring public interest in sailing is never an issue in New Zealand, the country is unquestionably the most passionate nation of America\u2019s Cup followers in the world. But securing public funds is another thing altogether.
\nAuckland had an exclusive period in which to tender for the 37th America\u2019s Cup, but the sums on offer were not enough, and Dalton cast the net wider internationally after rejecting a NZ$99 million (\u00a350 million) offer from the New Zealand government.
\n\u201cOur view is that we want it to be hosted here. We\u2019ve put our best foot forward, but there\u2019s also limits to what we can do,\u201d New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told local radio station Radio Hauraki in June.
\nA last minute bid to host the Cup in Auckland in 2024 has been launched \u2013 but as yet no venue has been confirmed
\nAuckland has never been ruled out, however, and New Zealand fans must be hoping that Dunphy\u2019s controversial bid for a home defence will draw out some additional private backers.
\nFrom a sporting perspective, defending the America\u2019s Cup on home waters \u2013 or attempting to wrest it from the Kiwis in their own harbour \u2013 would give the 37th America\u2019s Cup a real heart-and-soul narrative that would be hard to beat.
\nMight Valencia return as an America\u2019s Cup host venue?
\nSpain
\nValencia, host venue of the 2007 America\u2019s Cup and 2010 Deed of Gift Match, was widely tipped to be among the favourites to host the 37th Cup, until representatives confirmed the city was withdrawing its bid last week.
\nHowever, this was swiftly followed with the announcement that an all-Spain bid, including events in both Valencia and Barcelona, was still progressing.
\nIn a written statement, the All Spain group said: \u201cWe can confirm that our discussions with Team New Zealand and America\u2019s Cup Event Ltd continue to advance forward very positively with the backing of the Prime Minister of Spain and the central Spanish Government continuing to work with us to finalise details and event proposals. These discussions started some months back.\u201d
\nCork Week 2010
\nIreland
\nA surprising outsider, Cork on the south-west coast of Ireland became one of the front-runners in the host venue bid contest.
\nHowever, Ireland has requested extra time to prepare its bid \u2013 something that led Marcus Spillane, a vice president of World Sailing who is originally from Cork, to vehemently criticise the Irish government in the Irish Examiner. \u201cIreland is never going to host an Olympics or a FIFA World Cup,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cThe America\u2019s Cup is a global sporting event. We got right to the finish line and then we decided not to take the extra step. It demonstrates a lack of imagination and ambition.
\n\u201cI understand the need to get value for money, but let\u2019s be clear \u2013 you get an opportunity like this once every 15 to 20 years and when you do, you have to grasp the opportunity.\u201d
\nThis postponement is unlikely to be as lengthy as the Irish bid were hoping for, but may yet put them back in the fray.
\nFrom a sailing perspective, the notion of racing the AC75s in the Celtic Sea \u2013 let alone the shoreside entertainment of an America\u2019s Cup in Crosshaven \u2013 certainly has potential to make for a memorable event.
\nJeddah, Saudi Arabia
\nThere\u2019s been ominously little publicly announced regarding this bid, though it has been widely considered as one of the most likely scenarios. Moving the America\u2019s Cup to the Middle East could solve the funding issues for New Zealand, and draws a clear line to the defender\u2019s long-time previous backers of the Emirates airline.
\nA move to Saudi Arabia would be wildly unpopular among many Cup fans, thanks to the country\u2019s position on environmental issues, civil liberties, and women\u2019s rights \u2013 especially in light of the recent announcement of an AC40 class for a Women\u2019s and Youth America\u2019s Cup. However, in the unpredictable world of the America\u2019s Cup, nothing can be ruled out.
\nCowes, Doha and Singapore
\nThese three bids aren\u2019t expected to be among the four that were still on the table in the final rounds.
\nThe Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes
\nThe notion of a Deed of Gift match in the Solent between New Zealand and the Challenger of Record, INEOS Team UK, incited a great deal of interest among British sailing fans, and could have provided a memorable event with fewer logistical challenges than racing in New Zealand during the pandemic. However, neither the UK nor New Zealand backers appear to have the appetite for funding a \u2018private\u2019 contest.
\nDoha was previously being discussed alongside Jeddah as a potential option venue to host the Cup on the Arabian peninsula. However, Qatar\u2019s role in the ongoing political developments in the Middle East must make that increasingly improbable.
\nIt\u2019s all very quiet around Singapore\u2019s bid for AC37 too. Like many Arabian nations, Singapore has positioned itself as a host venue for major international sporting events, such as golf and F1, but with far less controversy attached the south-east Asian country could yet prove a viable option.<\/p>\n
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Political wrangling and last minute bids have caused a delay to the 37th America’s Cup venue announcement. Helen Fretter reports Photo: ACE \/ Studio BorlenghiThe much anticipated announcement of venue for the 37th America\u2019s Cup, due to be unveiled today … <\/p>\n