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America's Cup postponement threat
October 3, 2007
The next America's Cup scheduled for Valencia in 2009 could be postponed because of the ongoing legal dispute over the rules to be adopted for the competition, the Spanish organizers warned on Wednesday.
Alinghi retained the America's Cup by beating Team New Zealand earlier this year. The rule changes announced by defending champions Alinghi in July provoked a furious response from likely challengers and a decision is pending in a New York court after Golden Gate Yacht Club of San Francisco launched a legal challenge on behalf of the powerful BMW Oracle syndicate. AC Management (ACM) said they would be holding urgent discussions with Alinghi's connections, the challenging syndicates and Spanish authorities in a attempt to resolve the problems. "ACM is considering all options, including the possibility of postponing the event," said a statement on ACM's Web site. "As a consequence of the uncertainty and the delays arising from the Golden Gate Yacht Club Law suit in New York, AC Management is concerned that the feasibility of organizing the next America's Cup in Valencia in 2009 has been effectively compromised."
The proposed amended rules reduce the powers that the organizers, ACM, have to disqualify or reject a competitor, change the protocol governing the race or remove members of the arbitration panel. Alinghi and Oracle have held discussions with no resolution to date in an attempt to settle the dispute that threatens yachting's blue riband event. Five challengers to Alinghi have officially declared so far, against the 11 who took part in this year's staging. The five challengers are Team New Zealand, Spain's Desafio, Shosholoza from South Africa, United Team Germany and a new challenger from Britain, Team Origin. |
