The America's Cup Defender Emirates Team New Zealand has responded to yesterday's barrage of critical statements from the Swiss, British, and American challengers with a curt public rebuttal.
The three-way coordinated attack mounted yesterday by Switzerland's Alinghi Red Bull Racing, the British Challenger of Record Athena Racing, and the US NYYC American Magic, on the America's Cup Defender Emirates Team New Zealand, has been met with a terse response from the Kiwi team.
In a counterstatement yesterday evening (European time) the Defender issued a brief statement justifying its right to select Naples, Italy as the venue for the 38th America's Cup.
The statement read as follows:
The Defender, as per the Deed of Gift has the right and responsibility to choose the venue and the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Challenger of Record at the conclusion of the 37th America’s Cup also gives that full right and obligation to the Defender.
The Defender remains committed to work with the teams to create a partnership for the future America’s Cups.
The team issued an update shortly after putting forward further justification:
Further clarification on today’s earlier statement from Emirates Team New Zealand regarding the agreed responsibility of the Defender on selecting the Host Venue of the 38th America’s Cup across all events including the Challenger Selection Series. The MOU with the Challenger of Record also says:
“The Venue for the Match and for the preceding CSS will be determined and announced by the AC38 Defender within eight months of the AC37 Final Race. The final dates for the Match and the preceding CSS will be announced within a further two months of the Venue announcement.”
So far all five challengers from the 37th America's Cup appear to be interested in campaigning for the 38th edition – to be staged in 2027. So far Italy's Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli and the French Orient Express Racing Team have opted out of voicing their opinions on the British, Swiss, and American trio's coordinated messaging.
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I check-in with Tudor Team Alinghi’s director for technical and sailing, New Zealand America’s Cup veteran Dave Endean – the man in charge of making sure that in AC38 the Swiss syndicate improves on its somewhat lacklustre performance in the last Cup in Barcelona.
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