In an interview with the Washington Post, Alinghi CEO Michel Bonnefous puts the budget for organising the 2007 America's Cup at 100 million dollars. That is 70 million more than Auckland has spent on the sailing spectacle.
Bonnefous makes it clear that Alinghi is serious about taking the Cup to a whole new level in the world of sport. He justifies the sum by comparing it with other major events. For example, the World Ski Championships cost between 60 and 70 million dollars and the Olympic Games one billion dollars.
With this statement, Bonnefous is putting pressure on the five remaining candidate cities (Palma, Valencia, Marseille, Lisbon, Naples). They must offer the prospect of a perfect infrastructure in order to have a chance of being awarded the America's Cup.
The aim is to accommodate and feed 4000 people from the Cup community. Good views for spectators, the opportunity to build an attractive Cup Village for the teams and political support from the city are also important.
"However, the wind is the most important factor," says Bonnefous. It accounts for 40 per cent of the decision.
The Swiss CEO also held out the prospect of some rule changes to improve the attractiveness of the regatta. For example, the skirts that have covered the keels of the cuppers for 20 years will probably be banned. In addition, the regatta will no longer last five months, but only half as long.
