The next edition of the America’s Cup will take place in September and October 2024 in Barcelona.
It is a decision that marks a break with the tradition of the competition. Usually, the next edition takes place in the country of the defending champion, which is currently New Zealand. However, the organizers of the prestigious sailing event announced on Tuesday that the next edition of the America’s Cup will be held in Barcelona.
The Swiss from Alinghi and the Americans from Oracle had already organized the event respectively in Spain at Valence in 2007 and 2011, and in Bermuda in 2017. Team New Zealand (TNZ) retained its title in Auckland in March 2021 by beating Italian challenger Luna Rossa 7-3.
Favorite Barcelona over Malaga
“Holding the event in an important city like Barcelona will allow us to strengthen the growth trajectory“of the event” on the world sports scene“, explained the CEO of TNZ, Grant Dalton, quoted in the press release from the organizers. The other three candidates for the 2024 edition were Cork in Ireland, Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and Malaga in Spain.
Despite its name, TNZ is a private organization and had no no obligation to organize in New Zealand defending his title. The organizers had announced in September the postponement of their decision on the place of the next edition, saying they needed more time to choose between Auckland or a foreign city due to the confinement of the New Zealand city, then faced with the Delta variant. of Covid-19. The New Zealand government had made an offer of 61 million euros to keep the competition in the city, an offer that TNZ had deemed insufficient.
–
