BarcelonaBarcelona is working to bring to its waters one of the most prestigious competitions in world sport, the America’s Cup sailing. First celebrated in 1851 on the Isle of Wight, England, when the American ship America prevailed over the British royal family, the Copa America has overcome wars and crises, becoming one of the most watched tournaments in the world. Barcelona now aspires to host the 2024 edition and is working to prepare a dossier to present the final candidacy to the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron of New Zealand, the organizers of this edition.
The competition, where different sailing boats representing clubs from around the world compete with each other to face the grand final at the club defending the crown, was won in 2021 by the boat The Rehutai, of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron. This club revalidated the title in Auckland Bay by defeating Red Moon Italian. The New Zealanders, who dominated the last years of the Cup after decades of American rule, have always held the Cup in their waters, in Auckland, but in the face of the impact of the pandemic and strict laws to to avoid contagion, this time he has decided to open the door to receive proposals from other cities to organize one of the most money-moving competitions in the world.
The nomination process opened in late 2020, and although the idea was to close it in 2021, it was decided to extend it, as the pandemic continued to condition everything. In the end, there were five possible candidates: Barcelona, Valencia, Cork, Jeddah and Auckland itself, an option that seems almost ruled out because the local government does not look favorably on organizing a major event when there is still a pandemic. . Valencia showed interest because they had already organized the Copa America in 2007 and 2010, when they did so after agreeing with the champions, Alinghi of Switzerland, who were looking for a venue, as the his country has no sea. In fact, the Spanish government, represented by Víctor Francos, Secretary General of Sports and Culture, met at the end of 2021 with the businessmen who have the rights to the tournament in Spain, led by the Italian Francesco De Leo, thinking that Valencia was the ideal place, but the City Council finally did not see it clearly. The two editions of the Cup organized by Valencia ended with losses and complaints, so Valencia has decided not to return, despite having the infrastructure ready. The Valencian city council does not want to bet on a competition that reminds them of the management of the times of Francisco Camps and Rita Barberá.
Malaga, new rival
Valencia’s decision opens the door to Barcelona, as the Madrid government continues to support the project. In Barcelona, however, a new rival has emerged: Malaga. The Andalusian city, although the deputy representative of the government in the province, Javier Salas, explained that the investment of the state in the city would go to the Universal Expo of 2027, has met with the representatives of New Zealand on last days and confident in having options. Unlike Málaga, where the political representatives have made the meetings public, in Barcelona they have worked in silence, with the Secretary of Business of the Generalitat coordinating the elaboration of the dossier, with the support of the Port of Barcelona and the Real Nautical Club. Barcelona City Council has so far been cautious. In principle, the chosen venue should be known by March 31st.
According to various studies, organizing the Copa America can leave a lot of economic benefits. In 2017, the American Golden Gate Yacht Club, in San Francisco, organized it in the Caribbean, in Bermuda, the edition that has left more profits. The organizers explained that for every dollar invested, they put in five, a figure much higher than other editions. According to a study by PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PWC), there is a potential audience of 51 million viewers. The Valencian experience, however, is the warning sign of what happens when this opportunity is not taken advantage of to obtain benefits.
Cork’s candidacy, meanwhile, is still pending an agreement not reached between the city and the Irish government, while New Zealand is hesitant to bring the Cup to Saudi Arabia due to strong opposition from opinion public disrespect for local government human rights. In addition, it is an area where the winds do not quite convince the specialists. Without Valencia, Barcelona understands that a favorable scenario is opening up for organizing the 37th edition of the Cup. Local brands, such as Estrella Damm, have already sponsored the New Zealand team for a number of editions.
