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Nationality Rule -- "Bogus"?

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago

Nationality Rule -- "Bogus"?
Sailing World editor, Stuart Streuli, has another insightful if not inciteful piece in today's USA Today.... "Swiss, Kiwis vie for more than America's Cup" By Stuart Streuli, Special for USA TODAY Mark Newbrook says that he and the crew on the Swiss Alinghi syndicate aren't just fighting to keep sailing's most coveted trophy, they're fighting for its future. The 32nd America's Cup match starts Saturday (8:30 a.m. ET, Versus), pitting Alinghi against Emirates Team New Zealand, which won the right to challenge for the Cup by defeating 10 challengers for the Louis Vuitton Cup earlier this month. The first to five victories wins. The winner will play a large role in shaping the next America's Cup competition. Emirates Team New Zealand has indicated that it will consider revisiting the rule that required all sailors to be citizens or long-term residents of the syndicate's country. Mark Newbrook (USA)It would also likely return the competition to Auckland, New Zealand, where sponsorship is tougher to come by, making the Cup more reliant on the whims of billionaires. For Newbrook, a towering, fair-haired sailor from the Seattle area, and for the majority of his teammates ? there are four Swiss nationals among the 36 sailors on Alinghi's roster ? this would not be a welcome change. "We've seen a glimmer of hope for a very high level of professionalism, and there's an opportunity for the sport to move beyond the philanthropy of one rich fella who has some money to burn," he says. "I know that we feel and just about every other team feels that when it comes to the nationality rule, that it's bogus." Full story Stuart Streuli (USA) is Editor of Sailing World magazine. Full Story »

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