Cup's future in New Zealanders' hands says Alinghi chief

By HELEN TUNNAH and AINSLEY THOMSON

Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli believes the reaction of New Zealanders to Alinghi will be vital to the future of the America's Cup.

He said a campaign against his team, which included threats against crew and their families, had been "unfortunate at times".

"I think the defining moment is coming. What happens in the next three to four weeks is going to define what this sport is all about and I think everyone has a role to play in what we can make out of the America's Cup.

"The next three weeks will tell us a lot about what all of us think about sailing, and what all of us want to do about this sport."

Mr Bertarelli has been reported in Swiss media saying he wants to change some rules if Alinghi win the cup.

He is expected to base an Alinghi defence off southern Europe, perhaps off Italy or even Spain or France.

Mr Bertarelli has also said he wants to simplify nationality rules for teams to reduce costs.

Alinghi's sailing team, which beat Oracle BMW Racing to win the America's Cup challenger series, included seven New Zealanders - six of them from the team that won the last two cups, Team New Zealand.

Mr Bertarelli said Alinghi had put together a special team. It had all started with a blank piece of paper and he had met former Team New Zealand skipper Russell Coutts "out of nowhere" to start the team.

He thought the America's Cup would benefit from having professionals such as Coutts and tactician Brad Butterworth win next month.

Just where the landlocked Swiss team will defend an America's Cup and the style of regatta it would then host are not yet clear.

Alinghi have already formally questioned whether the rules requiring designers and crew to live in and have a home in the country of the team they are representing complies with the traditions of the event.

Team New Zealand, the New York Yacht Club and Punta Ala Yacht Club (Italy) have opposed Alinghi's views.

Crew from 15 countries are on Mr Bertarelli's team, including New Zealanders Coutts and Butterworth, who have had to maintain homes in Switzerland to meet the rules.

The America's Cup Arbitration Panel told Alinghi the nationality rules stemmed from the race's founding document, the Deed of Gift, which requires "friendly competition among nations".

Alinghi will sail against Team New Zealand from February 15, and the first team to win five races will win the America's Cup.

The idea of nationhood in the cup has also exercised the minds of visiting journalists.

Yesterday, Tim Jeffrey, writing in the British Daily Telegraph, described Coutts as being "pitted not just against his old team in four weeks but, it seems, 3.9 million of his countrymen".

Swiss journalist Mathieu Truffer said interest in the cup in Switzerland was rising after a long period in which the Swiss had shown only passing interest in Alinghi.

It was viewed as a private campaign, rather than the national one promoted by Team New Zealand.

Truffer said the Swiss were not interested in the sailors - he doubted many would be familiar with the names Coutts or Butterworth - but instead were interested in the design of the boat, because it had been built in Switzerland.

"There will never be a victory parade in Geneva with thousands of people cheering the cup. It will never happen."

Alan Bond - who became one of Australia's greatest heroes when he wrestled the America's Cup out of American hands, and later one of their greatest fraudsters - is in Auckland.

Bond is in New Zealand to attend a dinner for past winners of the Louis Vuitton Cup. In 1983 Bond's yacht Australia II ended the United States unbroken 132-year hold on the America's Cup when it bet Conner's boat, Liberty.

In 1996 the tycoon pleaded guilty to Australia's then largest fraud - stripping A$1 billion from the public company Bell Resources, most of which has never been recovered.

Bond was released from jail in March 2000.

nzherald.co.nz/americascup

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