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America’s Cup defender Team New Zealand plans to return to the sport’s Refereeing Panel after the Italian team rejected its latest racetrack proposal.
The Italian Challenger of Record (CoR) had argued that the New Zealand team would have unfair additional access to train in the B and C fields, which are close to the coast at the mouth of the Waitematā port, while the challengers raced in further fields. .
In a split decision, the panel ruled 2-1 that any fields not equally available to all four teams could not be used for racing.
TEAM EMIRATES NZ
The New Zealand team has been pushing the limits of the wind during their training in Auckland.
The New Zealand team has written to Luna Rossa, American Magic and Ineos Team UK proposing that it will not sail or train on courses B and C at a time when the challengers were unable to do so either.
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But the New Zealand team said on Saturday that Luna Rossa had rejected the proposal, saying it was “far from fair and not acceptable.”
The New Zealand team called Luna Rossa’s rejection a “surprising position”, given that their proposal said there would be equitable use of the fields for each team.
“Especially considering the fact that the specific courses (B and C) would also be available for the best of 13 race regatta of the Prada Cup final in which the defender is not a part.”
Emirates Team New Zealand / Supplied
A graph showing the routes eliminated for the America’s Cup regattas, after a ruling by the Refereeing Panel.
As a result of the rejection of the proposal, the New Zealand Team will now return to the Refereeing Panel to request formal mediation of the issue.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff raised the issue at a previously scheduled and unrelated meeting requested by the CoR last week.
“My message to all parties is that they must come together and resolve the issues,” Goff said in a statement.
“Obviously, we want the problems between the defender and the opponents to be resolved,” he said.
“We will work to encourage the resolution of disputes, but in the end it is the teams themselves that must resolve this.”
The races begin a week before Christmas, when the four teams sail in a preparation regatta in Auckland.
