While in Barcelona several private entities lament the hasty and unilateral decision of the city council not to host a new edition, the 38th edition of the Copa América is already underway with Valencia, which has been nominated as a possible venue and more possible positions. in the Middle East.
Groups such as the Catalan employers’ association Foment del Treball, the private investment agency Barcelona Global and even the Unió de Federacions Esportives de Catalunya (UFEC) have already opposed the municipal refusal to achieve a new opportunity to host the next edition.
While it is true that some political sectors harshly attacked the viability of the America’s Cup and the negative impact on issues such as the increase in rents for housing or tourist apartments (an endemic evil in the city that had already been long before the Cup arrived), the television impact of the event has not yet been assessed, which according to the organization has exceeded that of the last edition by 50 percent and could have reached 1.4 billion viewers in more than 200 countries .
And the economic impact on the city, which was set at the time at 1.2 billion euros, has not been accounted for either. And we must remember that the teams, with an average of 150 members and their families, have been in Barcelona for almost two years with what this represented for the local economy (rents, schools, transportation, current expenses, etc.)
That said, and while more political than effective issues are being debated, Valencia, despite the fact that the central government does not seem as willing to contribute 18 million euros to the project as it did in Barcelona, the institutional leaders seem willing to bet on private initiative .
At Emirates Team New Zealand there is absolute silence, but now it is time to remember the statements, a few days before the end of the Barcelona edition of the team director, Matteo de Nora, right-hand man of Grant Dalton, general director of Team New Zealand and the organization of the 37th America’s Cup. In statements to the media, he advanced the possibility that the America’s Cup could be held in the Middle East.
He also supported Grant Dalton’s idea of a new edition in 2026, “Why wait? The teams need to know if they will have continuity”.
And he advanced: «The Middle East will be ready in two years. On the other hand, if we returned to New Zealand, and this is also a scenario, two years would not be enough..
He also highlighted: «Sports such as motorsport, tennis, golf, athletics or football have already arrived there. The Middle East does not just mean Saudi Arabia, but also Bahrain, Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Ras al-Khaimah or Oman. In the Persian Gulf they have decided to bet heavily on sports or quality tourism and this has opened a new window in that part of the world..
It must be remembered that in the controversial 33rd edition of the America’s Cup that was held in Valencia in 2010, during the legal process between the Swiss union Alinghi, defending champion, and the American Oracle, Alinghi proposed, in August 2009, Ras al-Kahimah as the headquarters of the confrontation. Furthermore, the Swiss had already trained there and said that the wind conditions were very similar to those of the Mediterranean.
But the Supreme Court of New York, faced with the fact that the Cup was to be held in February 2010, rejected the proposal since the ‘Deed of Gift’ (regulations of the Cup) prohibited confrontations in the Northern Hemisphere in the period. from November 1 to April 30 and there would only be one exception if the challenge was in Valencia; as it was.
The American team Oracle refused to compete in the Persian Gulf due to security, but the United Arab Emirates reminded it that several hundred United States companies operated in its territories and that the safety of people and facilities was fully guaranteed.
De Nora also revealed, regarding the future competition, «The format of fleet regattas (all against all) of the Young America’s Cup and the Women’s Cup, competitions that will continue in the 38th edition, was very popular with the fans and although the Final of the America’s Cup is a regatta match-race (boat against boat), the Louis Vuitton Cup or Challenger Tournament could be in fleet, always in agreement with the INEOS Britannia, the Challenger of Record -First Challenger-, and the final in match-race as usual » .
Already in the Protocol of the 37th edition it was contemplated that the AC75 (monohulls of 22.90 meters in length with ‘foils’) would be maintained in the 38th edition, but «They will have evolutions and improvements. The idea is to have more sailors in the crews and fewer ‘cyclors’, providing the boats with more batteries to generate energy. “More crew members would also mean creating an environment with more opportunities for female crew members,” De Nora concluded.
The debate is open and we will have to wait for the audit that the Barcelona Capital Náutica Foundation will carry out on the final account statement of the 37th edition. What is true is that the organization has been very strict in expenses and if there are no last-minute budget deviations, the 45 million (54.5 with VAT) of public investment, contributed by the Central Government, the Generalitat of Catalonia and the City Council, to host the event, should not be increased due to budgetary irregularities.
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