San Francisco to Host America's Cup
by Kelly Sallaway - LincsMag Writer.
Date: 09 January 2011
Racing for the Cup: The Oldest Continuous Award in Sport
San Francisco has been selected as the host venue for the 34th America's Cup in September 2013.
The catamaran regatta will be held in a series of races around the world before the final 43 days of sailing near the famous Golden Gate Bridge.
For the first time in the event's 159-year history, it will be staged entirely within the confines of one harbour, and one with a spectacular backdrop!
Oracle software CEO Larry Ellison’s San Francisco-based BMW-Oracle Racing team captured the cup off the coast of Spain in the 2010 America's Cup sailing for the Golden Gate Yacht Club. This immediately made San Francisco, "The City by The Bay" a favourite to host the next round of races for the coveted trophy. Ellison's considerable influence and local ties closed the deal.
History
The America's Cup sailing competition was created by the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS) located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight. Royal Yacht Squadron is the most prestigious yacht club in the United Kingdom and the America's Cup is said to be the world's oldest trophy in International Sport.
The cup is named not for the continent, but for the first winner of the Royal Yacht Squadron's race round the Isle. The yacht "America" was built for a syndicate of American yachtsmen and sailed to Britain in response to The Great Exhibition of 1851.
The cup itself, a bottomless silver ewer weighing 134 ounces and standing 27 inches high, was purchased from Robert Garrard the jeweller in 1848 and subsequently presented to the RYS by Lord Anglesey. When the winners' cup was delivered to The New York Yacht Club it was engraved with the name "America". The Cup remained in the United States until in 1983 when the Australia II beat out Dennis Conner’s Liberty to end the streak.
Economics
The original Royal Yacht Squadron's race around Wight for a Cup paid a prize of One Hundred Sovereigns.
The Yacht 'America' was said to cost over $20,000 to build in 1848 was sold after the race for a $25,000.
Racing experts say to mount a team for the 34th running of the cup would cost a minimum of 20million Euros with the top flight teams each spending more in the range of 140 million Euros.
San Francisco officials estimate the 2013 regatta will bring $1.43 billion in economic benefit to the area along with over 8,000 jobs.
Independent studies show that the America's Cup delivers the third largest economic impact in sport to host countries, behind the Olympic Games and football's World Cup.
Included in the tally is the $270 million event promoters expect from corporate sponsors.
Worldwide Appeal
Yachting has always been an elitist sport for millionaire sportsmen but the America's Cup is still followed by a diverse crowd. The advent of wider television distribution and more versatile sports coverage as well as on-board cameras and high-tech video has brought the audience to the contest.
The Cup is now delivered to the masses, on demand or in HD. A billion-dollar day sail becomes much more interesting to the layperson when they can experience more of the excitement, danger and strategy involved at this very pinnacle of sport.
The extensive television coverage and 24/7 web broadcast will bring the next America's Cup to the every size screen at every corner of the world. The venue to be created at the San Francisco piers will also create an accessible viewing platform offering unprecedented visibility to spectators.
Ellison, whose team will defend its title in 2013, said he felt a sense of responsibility to the sailing community to pick a host city that would "turn this from an elitist event into a popular sporting event."
The Event Authority and City organizers have responded by designing a zigzag course close to shoreline that will keep the fast catamarans within view.
Excitement will build over the next three years as eyes turn toward the progress in San Francisco. As the America's Cup finally returns to the United States it will be at a specially designed course, at a first-time venue by a City that is opening its arms and waters to the world.
