America's Cup: And the winner is ... Bermuda?

The report from the AP press agency leaves little room for doubt: Bermuda is said to have won the bid to host the 35th America's Cup. This is what the renowned American AP reporter Bernie Wilson learnt from an unnamed but well-informed insider. The informant wishes to remain anonymous because defender Oracle Team USA will not officially announce its decision until 2 December at a press conference in New York. However, there had been consultations between racing team owner Larry Ellison and team boss Russell Coutts, as a result of which the decision was made in favour of Bermuda.

This would come as a surprise to many experts, as Bermuda is a British overseas territory, while San Diego, a US territory, has already hosted the Cup in 1988, 1992 and 1995. So far, neither Larry Ellison nor Russell Coutts have confirmed the statement, which according to AP appears so credible that Bermuda is named by the news agency as the venue without question marks. Russell Coutts referred to the confidentiality clause in his contracts when asked about the subject. Further enquiries to politicians and decision-makers involved have so far remained unanswered.

Bermuda has at least three good arguments in its favour: a fantastically beautiful sailing area around the northern tip of the Bermuda Triangle, its world-renowned status as a tax haven, from which all Cup participants will benefit, and a great deal of passion for sailing. For the first time, an American America's Cup team would be defending the most famous trophy in international sailing outside of home waters. The Swiss team Alinghi had previously followed a similar path and organised the Cup in Valencia, Spain, in 2007 and 2010. However, this was mainly for practical reasons: The regatta could not be held on Lake Geneva.

The choice of Bermuda is not only met with cheers. The points of criticism range from a "logistical nightmare" to the traditionalists' reference to the non-American territory. Criticism was also voiced by Team New Zealand. The Kiwis fear that their partners and sponsors will not be able to sail the course with Bermuda as the destination. New Zealand's Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce told the daily newspaper "New Zealand Herald" that the Cup off Bermuda would make it more difficult for public funds to be invested. US defenders have submitted a total of five challenges. However, several of the teams have not yet secured their funding. One of the main reasons for this was the previously unknown venue, without which negotiations with sponsors were difficult.