KEY POINTS:
MADRID - The organisers of the America's Cup have said they may consider postponing the 2009 event in Valencia due to uncertainty caused by a legal suit.
"As a consequence of the uncertainty and the delays arising from the Golden Gate Yacht Club Law suit in New York,
AC Management (ACM) is concerned that the feasibility of organising the next America's Cup in Valencia in 2009 has been effectively compromised," ACM said in an emailed statement.
ACM are the body Cup holders Alinghi have commissioned to organise the 33rd edition of the prestigious yacht race.
The Golden Gate Yacht Club, represented at the America's Cup by the BMW Oracle team, have sued Alinghi over rules they say are unfairly weighted in the defender's favour, including the right to disqualify teams or bar them from entering.
Last month Alinghi tweaked the rules to address some of those issues but BMW Oracle, bankrolled by software billionaire Larry Ellison, said it was not enough.
If they do not settle out of court, the case will be heard in a New York court on October 22.
ACM said it would talk to Alinghi, other competitors and Spanish authorities and was "considering all options, including the possibility of postponing the event to a later date".
A spokesperson for Alinghi said they understood the stance taken by ACM.
"Our position is as it has been over the past few months, we are trying and trying to resolve the situation," they said.
"Given the uncertainty over the event we understand the obligation of the organisers to look into the feasibility of holding the America's Cup in Valencia in 2009."
BMW Oracle said they were worried by the latest development, but hoped that it might prompt the disputing parties to come to an agreement.
"We are concerned by this because we are also very keen to see a successful event in Valencia in 2009," BMW Oracle public relations manager Jane Eagleson told Reuters.
"We have been urging mediation and/or a speeded-up court process for some time now to resolve the new protocol and the defender has resisted this.
"But maybe this is the right time for everyone to get together and sort out this protocol once and for all so that we can all get on with a successful event like last time."
Alinghi owner Ernesto Bertarelli has said the uncertainty hanging over the 2009 America's Cup because of BMW Oracle's lawsuit is hindering other teams from entering and sorting out sponsorship for their multi-million dollar challenges.
So far five competitors have entered the race for the 33rd America's Cup - new British group Team Origin, South Africa's Shosholoza, Team Germany, Desafio Espanol and Team New Zealand, who lost the America's Cup 5-2 to Alinghi in July.
A spokesman for Team Origin criticised the destabilising effect the lawsuit had created.
"The American team are hijacking the event and they are putting huge pressure on the event. Everyone is a loser in this and they are doing it for their own reasons as against the bigger picture."
- REUTERS