Dubai: Reports in New Zealand suggest the next edition of the America’s Cup could be taken away from Auckland and held off the shores of the UAE in 2021 for a fee of US$80 million (Dh294 million).
Whoever wins sailing’s most prestigious two-yacht race, which has been held roughly every three or four years since 1851, gets to decide not only the design of the boat, but also the venue for the next edition of the race.
Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ), who won this year’s event against Oracle Team USA in Bermuda in June, have demanded a multimillion dollar hosting fee from the New Zealand government to stage the next event in Auckland in four years’ time.
However, New Zealand’s Herald on Sunday have claimed negotiations with the government there have hit a sensitive stage due to costs, and the hosting could now be switched to Abu Dhabi, who are reported to be offering US$80 million to hold the race. Sochi, in Russia, are another reported option.
Hosting costs are a regular obstacle for the regatta with previous editions of the race having been held in Valencia, Spain, in 2007 and 2010, breaking from the tradition of holding the event in the last winner’s own waters.
This isn’t the first time the UAE have been linked with hosting the event since Emirates airline started sponsoring Team New Zealand in 2004. In 2007 Emirates officials said they wanted to bring the race to Dubai in 2010. Ras Al Khaimah eventually missed out on hosting it that year due to objections raised by Team Oracle over potential security risks due to the UAE’s proximity to Iran.
New Zealand Minister of Economic Development and Environment David Parker admitted the Auckland deal was ‘not in the bag’ and he said he was aware of overseas interest, in an interview with NewsTalk ZB radio station.
“It’s never an endless budget for anything really,” he said. “On one level the money the government spends on this sort of thing is less money that can be spent on housing for people who need homes. Having said that, the economic case for this is quite strong because there are economic spin-offs and improved tourism.
“It’s a three-way negotiation between the council, central government who have been asked to pay for these things, and Team New Zealand who want to be paid. That negotiation hasn’t been completed yet.
“While there is obviously a bottom line beyond where we would think we would be unreasonably pushed – and we wouldn’t be pushed beyond that – we also recognise there are benefits and that’s why I think all three parties are trying to find a solution.
“I think there’s a point beyond where they [Team NZ] wouldn’t be pushed either. And they’ve got to have some things which make this viable for them and that’s the nature of the negotiation.”
Parker added that negotiations had made progress, but said: “If any one of the parties become unreasonable then we could lose it.”
Emirates Team New Zealand issued a statement saying: “ETNZ are not actively scouting other locations but there has been overseas interest that have presented themselves but we reconfirm our desire to host the Americas Cup in New Zealand and we are making good progress with both council and government.”
