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America's Cup

America's Cup, the challenge in Valencia

This is the longest-running sporting event in the world and its media coverage is only comparable to that of the Olympics; a competition determined by precision, technological development and strategy; a historic milestone in the professional careers of the competitors, and a tremendous source of prestige for champions and challengers alike.

The organisers of this event felt that Valencia provided the best wind and sea conditions for the Cup, as well as the attraction of a thriving city with all the infrastructures required to host the sailing event.

Hosting the America's Cup consolidated Valencia's status as a city open to the Mediterranean and with up-to-the-minute infrastructure for nautical tourism.

Known originally as the 100 Guineas Cup, the name was changed in the year 1870, in honour of the victory of the America in the 1851 race. Until 1983, when the crew of the Australia II lifted the trophy, the competition was won by US sailboats.

That same year, the Louis Vuitton Cup was created, the preceding competition that determined which team would challenge the defending champions. In the Auckland edition in 2003, a European boat, the Alinghi from Switzerland, won the America's Cup after 152 years of Anglo-Saxon dominance. The Swiss syndicate should have hosted the following edition in 2007. However, the official regulations of the competition, known as the Deed of Gift, state that the America's Cup can only be disputed in salt water.

Valencia was chosen to host the event following a tough bidding war with 56 other candidates including Barcelona, Naples, Marseille, Palma de Mallorca and Cascais. The Alinghi won the 32nd America's Cup racing against the Team Emirates New Zealand in July 2007, after the New Zealand boat won the Louis Vuitton Cup and earned the right to challenge the defending Swiss champion in Valencian waters.

Following the success of the previous edition, Valencia was once again chosen to host the 33rd America's Cup. The challenge is staying in the waters off the coast of Valencia, which will once again be set abuzz as fast sailboats equipped with the latest technology battle it out.