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BERNE, Switzerland - America's Cup holders Alinghi have accused yachting rivals BMW Oracle of holding the competition to ransom following their decision to file legal proceedings in New York.
BMW Oracle owner Larry Ellison is suing Alinghi for what he says are "unfair" rules for the running of
the next America's Cup - a charge strenuously denied by the Swiss team.
"Far from being an attempt to control everything, the new protocol has been written to make the 33rd America's Cup even better," said Michel Bonnefous, president of the ACM organising body set up to run the competition on Alinghi's behalf.
"The vision is shared by many Challengers from around the world, four of whom have now formally entered the competition, with others about to do so.
"Larry Ellison is holding the Cup to ransom for competitive gain by attempting to disrupt the preparations."
Alinghi's New Zealand-born skipper Brad Butterworth attributed the US team's lawsuit to sour grapes.
"Ellison lost on the water in 2003 and in 2007, failing to secure a match for the America's Cup," he said.
"He is now pretending to be the good guy, representing the interests of all stakeholders, whereas in reality they have gone to court to force an earlier private match on their terms without the involvement of other competitors."
"While their legal teams are busy destabilising the 33rd Cup and the preparations of the existing challengers, they are simultaneously snapping up sailors left, right and centre.
Last month BMW Oracle signed New Zealand's three-times America's Cup winner Russell Coutts to lead their next campaign even though Alinghi have not yet accepted Ellison's challenge.
Coutts' third triumph came while skippering Alinghi to their maiden win in 2003.
BMW Oracle are claiming that Alinghi are seeking an unfair advantage by withholding their plans for the next edition of the Cup.
They have also challenged the right of newly-established outfit Club Nautico Espanol de la Vela to be designated the official Challenger for the 2009 event.
In a statement released on their own website on Thursday, BMW Oracle's yacht club insisted that Alinghi had accepted "an invalid challenge from a sham yacht club, and is seeking to impose an unprecedented one-sided set of rules that would damage the Cup as a genuinely competitive event."
- REUTERS