Due to a Covid-19 outbreak in New Zealand, the final races of the Prada Cup, which started last Saturday and were due to continue today, have been postponed to Friday. In this final, the Italian team Luna Rossa and Ineos Team UK will sail for the right to compete against the New Zealanders in the America's Cup.
Although the contact chains have now been largely identified and the nationwide alert level has been lowered from 3 to 1, level 2 still applies to Auckland, off whose shores the Cup teams are sailing, making public events with spectators more difficult.
The organisers of the event, ACE for short, have now brought two new options into play. If a level 1 warning is issued for Auckland in the near future, sailing could resume at the weekend. If this is not the case and level 2 or even 3 applies, the restart of the Prada Cup would be postponed by one week to 27 February, and the start of the America's Cup would also be postponed by one week to 13 March.
The background of the organisers is obviously financial interests. Because large crowds, as seen so far, mean revenue. However, these spectator numbers would not be possible under high warning levels.
The two teams affected by the postponement reacted differently, for understandable reasons. The British team agreed with the organiser's point of view. A further postponement would give them valuable time to make technical improvements to the boat. In addition, the forecast for the weekend is for rather light winds just above the wind limit of 6.5 knots. In these conditions, the Italians have recently had the advantage. A postponement would increase the British team's chances of more wind, as they are considered the better team in strong winds.
The Italians, on the other hand, don't want to hear about another postponement. They are 4-0 up and only need three more wins to win the Prada Cup. They have the momentum of a winning streak on their side and naturally do not want to give the British any additional chances. According to their argumentation, it was even allowed to train under warning level 3, so why shouldn't it be possible to race at a lower level? Whether this happens with or without spectators is irrelevant.
In addition, a timetable has been agreed in the competition rules, which states that the Prada Cup ends on 24 February. If it is not possible to sail by then, the team that is ahead by then is the winner. That would be, surprise surprise, the Italians.
The outcome of the dispute is completely open, from an amicable agreement to a dispute before the arbitration court, anything is possible.
Lars Bolle
Chief Editor Digital
