Barcelona has confirmed that it will not host the next America’s Cup.
‘It doesn’t make sense to try to build on the success’ of the two-month regatta, the economy councillor at Barcelona City Council Jordi Valls said.
Valls stressed that the sailing event has had a positive impact on the city, strengthening its international projection and accelerating investment in the city.
According to Spanish media reports, the sailing event cost Catalan taxpayers €54 million, of which €30 million came from the Catalan government, €10 million from the city council and €5 million from the Diputació de Barcelona, among others. Despite the city council’s positive assessment of the America’s Cup, its economic impact on Catalonia is so far unclear.
Emirates Team New Zealand won its third straight cup on Saturday, securing the title of the 37th America’s Cup that was hosted in the Catalan capital. It means New Zealand will again organise the next cup, including picking a venue.
The city port of Valencia has said it would like to get the cup back after staging it in 2007 and 2010. Saudi Arabia may also be a possible candidate after Jeddah hosted a preliminary regatta in 2023 on the Red Sea.
Valls called it an ‘amicable parting’ between the city and the world’s oldest international sporting event that started in 1851.
Valls insisted the 2024 cup was a success for the city. But he said it was always considered a ‘one-off event and that at no moment was it planned for Barcelona to repeat as a venue’. He pointed to other international events it will focus on promoting such as hosting the opening stage of the 2026 Tour de France. ALSO READ: Tour de France will commence from Barcelona in 2026.
New Zealand also cast doubt on Barcelona’s suitability after meeting with Barcelona City Council on Tuesday. It argued the port infrastructure could not accommodate more than the six teams it hosted. The cup organisers hope more teams will enter the next regatta.
‘We are keeping an open mind on how best to achieve this with a venue, or different venues, that can supercharge the 38th America’s Cup with an increased global footprint, more teams and increased overall expansion opportunities,’ New Zealand team chief executive Grant Dalton said in a statement. ‘It would be difficult to expand the number of teams based on the available infrastructure space in Barcelona.’
Dalton’s decision to not race the cup in Auckland was criticised in New Zealand. He said he could take it back home only if Auckland could match the financial offers of other bidders.
Some 2.5 million spectators turned out for the Barcelona race which started in late August with yachts from Britain, Italy, the United States, Switzerland and France challenging the Kiwis. ALSO READ: America’s Cup kicks off in Barcelona with Preliminary Regatta – read our full guide (Part 1).
The decision by Barcelona City Council also comes amid growing public concern about ‘overtourism’ and rising rents. While some 60,000 people turned out for the opening ceremony of the America’s Cup, there was a public protest of a few thousand who rallied against it. ALSO READ: Record number of summer visitors to Spain underlines over-tourism fears.
The initiative ‘No to the America’s Cup’ welcomed the departure of the competition from Barcelona.
‘This elitist competition, which has not attracted the interest of locals and has required enormous public expenditure justified by false figures, will not be held in Barcelona again,’ they said in a statement.
The campaign, which includes 140 organisations, recently filed a complaint with the Anti-Fraud Office of Catalonia, requesting it investigates the public funds allocated to the event.
ALSO READ: New Zealand beats British yacht 7-2 to win America’s Cup in Barcelona.
ALSO READ: GB back in America’s Cup final for the first time in 60 years, to race against NZ.
ALSO READ: America’s Cup in Barcelona starts ’round robin’ stage – full guide (Part 2).
ALSO READ: Ben Ainslie, British skipper in America’s Cup, robbed at knifepoint in Barcelona.
Sign up for the FREE Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.
Please support Spain in English with a donation.
Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.