Is that it for San Francisco? The defenders have reduced their list of possible venues for the 35th America's Cup from four to three. This was confirmed by America's Cup winner Russell Coutts to the American press agency Associated Press (AP). According to AP information, it was the home port of Larry Ellison's racing team Oracle Team USA and its Golden Gate Yacht Club that was hit in the elimination. AP believes San Francisco is out of the race. However, despite the spectacular Cup duels seen at the end of the 34th edition of the Cup, this decision does not come as a great surprise.
Still in the running are the secret favourite Chicago, the former Cup area off San Diego known for its flat wind conditions and the remote picture-book waters of Bermuda. Two of the candidates have not yet commented on the defenders' current decision. Chicago cited a confidentiality agreement with the Cup holders. Only San Diego confirmed that it remains one of the dwindling number of hopeful candidates in the poker game for the Cup rights.
In 2013, San Francisco hosted the 34th edition of the Cup, which was characterised by too few participants (originally up to 15 were hoped for, but three eventually took part), a lack of spectator interest over long stretches, the tragedy surrounding Olympic champion Andrew Simpson, who drowned in a training accident, and only at the end by the spectacular two-week duel between the defenders and Emirates Team New Zealand. Even then, the city magazine San Francisco Weekly was not alone in describing the relationship between the city and Oracle Team USA racing team owner Larry Ellison as "asymmetrical".
In the run-up to the 34th duel for the most important silverware in international sailing and during the negotiations between San Francisco and the rights holders, economic experts, city representatives and Cup defenders had imagined all kinds of tantalising scenarios. There were dreams of a warm shower of money totalling 1.4 billion dollars for the region. Around 8800 new jobs were to be created and up to 2.6 million visitors would flock to the Californian harbour city. None of this materialised. At the end of the 34th America's Cup, the city was left with a loss of around 11 million US dollars, almost half of which was borne by the taxpayers. It is therefore understandable that San Francisco is not seeking a new edition of the nerve-racking spectacle between Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge at any price. Cup experts have long assumed that San Francisco's bid is significantly lower than that of its competitors.
Russell Coutts also confirmed that by the end of June, the list of candidates will be narrowed down to two possible venues. However, the area with the proven outstanding sailing conditions is apparently already out of the running.
Tatjana Pokorny
Sports reporter
