Your 2024 Summer of Sport . . . The UEFA EURO Cup 2024 kicks off in Munich on Friday 14 June and ends with the final in Berlin on Sunday 14 July. The Olympics open in Paris 26 July and close 11 August . . . and after a short breather attention will turn to the America’s Cup.
How will the 37th America’s Cup fare in this exalted company?
Officially that is The Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, which will consist of five events taking place between 22 August and 27 October 2024 in Barcelona.
A small event in world-wide sport terms, involving just six countries, and following two of the sporting world’s biggest events and thousands of hours of media saturation coverage – in print, on-line and TV and Radio.
With the return to a Europe venue, the audience for the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup is predicted by some to be the biggest in the event’s 173-year history, with an expected global audience of 1.5 billion across all racing.
And to help that prediction on its way, all fan viewing in Barcelona will be free as well as globally free to air on TV and streaming live on www.americascup.com and YouTube.
So, what will these millions of America’s Cup fans get.
Starting on the 22 August there are several major stepping stones to be negotiated before the actual Cup Match commencing on the 12 October.
First up is the Barcelona Preliminary Regatta (22-25 Aug), with the five challengers, plus the Cup Defender competing in their new version two AC75s against one another for the first time. This comprises of a series of match races, with four races per day to arrive a Final match race between the top two teams.
The result does not have any meaningful result in terms of the actual 37th Cup Match, except that we (and the teams) will see how their Cup boats compare with the others, and the defender will know what their chances are of retaining the Auld Mug . . . If the challengers are not sand bagging!
During this event we could see some rapid – back to the drawing-board moments – as the pecking order becomes clear and the design teams attempt to improve their chances.
Following very quickly on this ‘false-dawn’ event will be The Louis Vuitton Cup – Challenger Selection Series (29 Aug-7 Oct)
The title says it all. This is the event that decides who will get to compete against the Cup holders, Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ).
Although Ben Ainslie’s INEOS Britannia team are the Challenger of Record, this gives them no on water advantage when it comes to actually competing in the America’s Cup Match, that is decided by this Challenger Selection event.
In this event the five Challengers and the Defender will compete in a double Round Robin series, with one challenger being eliminated.
The Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, will then withdraw, having gained much valuable insight into the abilities of the challengers, and the four remaining challengers then take part in a Semi-Final stage, followed by a two-boat Match Race Final to decide the actual AC37 Challenger.
The winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup Final becomes the actual Challenger and will meet the Defender ETNZ in the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup Match from 12 Oct.
This is the kernel of the America’s Cup with each race a match race between the Challenger and the Defender. The winner of each race scores one point, the loser zero points. The first team to score seven points is the winner of the 37th America’s Cup.
During this extended Cup series, stretching from 22 August to 27 October, two new events will take place sailed in the smaller AC40s.
The UniCredit Youth America’s Cup 17 – 26 September, and The Puig Women’s America’s Cup 5 – 13 October, sailed in AC40s.
Whether or not this eclectic mix of events will enhance the America’s Cup or muddy the waters and distract from the 173 year old main event remains to be seen.
Key will be how the on-line/TV media presents such an extended programme, and the bar will have been set high following on from the no-expense-spared, high-level Football and Olympic coverage. Throw in the vulnerability of sailing events to adverse weather conditions and it could be a long, slow summer.
For the sailing aficionado such upsets are all part of the sport, for the casual viewer the constant re-runs and cancellations are not Goggle-Box friendly, and viewer fatigue could quickly set in, especially if the hyper active / simplistic Sailing for Dummies style commentary is adopted.
As with the Euro Cup and the Olympic events, success is everything, and a successful British result in the Challenger series, to make it into the America’s Cup Match for the first time since 1964, and with it the possibility of finally winning the Auld Mug after 173 years of trying would be a major game-changer for competitive sailing in Britain.
The five America’s Cup challengers are:
- GBR – INEOS Britannia (Challenger of Record)
- SUI – Alinghi Red Bull Racing
- USA – NYYC American Magic
- ITA – Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli
- FRA – Orient Express Racing Team.
The 37th Cup Defender is Emirates Team New Zealand.
Related Posts:
Ainslie and Mills announce Athena Pathway squad for the inaugural Puig Women’s America’s Cup
