OPINION: The America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, controlled by a unique set of rules that’s helped establish it at the pinnacle of professional sailing.
Despite 165 years of history, holders Oracle Team USA are attempting a major overhaul for the regatta’s future that cuts to the very core of the Cup’s foundations.
The framework for the Cup - as revealed by Oracle and four of the five challenging syndicates in London yesterday - sets the details for the next two Cup regattas. That severely oversteps the mark of what the holders can do.
They are the trustees of the Cup only and set the rules for the next event, and whoever wins that regatta - whether the defenders or not - then takes control for the following regatta. It’s a unique system not without its pitfalls, but it’s how the America’s Cup has worked since the first challenge in 1870.
Team New Zealand were the only syndicate not to support the new framework, and rightly so. This is an incredibly hypocritical move by Oracle, proclaiming stability despite being at the wheel for one of the most destructive periods in Cup history.
At the forefront of the new framework is the plan to stick with the America’s Cup Class boat that will sail in Bermuda. That’s a lot of faith in a boat that is yet to touch the water.
What’s more, since the last Cup in San Francisco a new class was announced then scrapped, then constant changes have been made to the class rule for the now 48 foot foiling catamaran. In fact, weeks after the official launch date of the boat, changes are still being made.
The framework also proposes a big shift in the calendar. Oracle plan to turn the Cup into a biannual event, with the time between regattas filled with World Series events all building towards the finals.
That makes it particularly tough for new teams to jump into the mix if points are on offer from the first race, unless they’ll gut an existing syndicate and poach their resources.
Italian syndicate Luna Rossa’s withdrawal in 2015 should be a massive red flag of the current regime and Larry Ellison’s vision of the future. They pulled the pin on their challenge due to the constantly shifting goalposts.
Since beating Alinghi in 2010, the billionaire has wanted to turn the America’s Cup into a televised mainstream sport, and cut the massive budgets. Yes, the viewer experience has improved, but only three challengers turned up in San Francisco and only five will sail in Bermuda, although one of the teams is more of a surrogate of Oracle than a challenger.
If there are new teams who support the new framework as Oracle say, just as many if not more are waiting in the wings for the Cup to be wrestled from Ellison’s control.
The only danger now is that five other teams have sided with Oracle, and should they lift the Cup, could implement the framework for the next cycle.
The good news is this is not a rules change, only an agreement so the whole plan could come to nothing.
That’s certainly what Team New Zealand are hoping for - and a vast number of the sailing world. And the whole situation again shows the divide between the Kiwis and the other syndicates is very much a chasm.
Newshub.
