With just over two weeks remaining before the announcement of the venue for the 37th America's Cup, Ireland and specifically County Cork, have put forward a compelling case, including support from top politicians.
Three other venues are in the mix including Auckland, Valencia, and a Middle Eastern venue, reported to be Jeddah.
With just over two weeks before the venue announcement, the bidding has gained a new energy, and as with the 2021 America's Cup venue, the final decision may not be made until the final hours.
The Irish bid has strong political support, a factor which is lacking in Auckland - which would normally be automatic choice to host the 37th America's Cup. Its America's Cup bid is hitched to another major project - Global Ireland 2025, a multi-faceted strategy launched in 2018 to recover from its lost decade. The Cup hosting will turbo-charge that project. The other hosting candidates, may have a similar strategy, but as Auckland and New Zealand have found to their cost - a stand alone Cup hosting inevitably delivers in different ways and quantity to the initial proposals.
Ireland also has a 65% double-jab vaccination rate for COVID, which is a precursor to allowing the nation to open its borders to double-jabbed international fans, sailing media, superyachts, sponsors, and VIPS.
Few of these groups were allowed into Auckland for the 2021 America's Cup robbing the economic value from the New Zealand hosting. New Zealand's double-jab rate is currently less than 22%, with no immediate plan to open its borders to international sports teams and their cohorts.
The venue announcement will be made by America's Cup defender, and reigning champion Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and its team Emirates Team New Zealand, on September 17.
Emirates Team New Zealand has consistently refused to release the short-listed venues for AC37, and it may well be that a dark horse is also running in the AC37 stakes.
Cork stakes claim
Cork Harbor, on the south coast of Ireland, is the second largest natural harbor in the world after Sydney Harbor in Australia.
It is understood that 44 acres of waterfront land owned by the Doyle Shipping Group, have been proposed as the site for six team bases. The area has also been earmarked for redevelopment as a staging area for windfarms to be constructed in the Celtic Sea, along with urban renewal planned for several sites adjacent to Cork Harbour. It is likely that the projects will be given some concurrency, with the America's Cup performing its usual role of fast-tracking the planning and construction process.
