Copa América Barcelona 2024

Next 2024 the America's Cup will celebrate its 37th edition in Barcelona, which has been classified as Event of Exceptional Public Interest (AEIP), which means that both the organizers, teams and sponsors will be able to advertise in this event that will take place between August 22 and October 27 of the aforementioned year, and that will once again place Barcelona as the capital sports on the planet.

One of the most significant novelties of this edition is that for the first time in the history of the competition there will be participation of women's teams, which will definitely arouse greater interest among spectators.

On the other hand, the realization of the Copa América Barcelona 2024 It will serve as the foundation for the transformation of Barcelona's Port Olímpic.

What is the Sailing America Cup?

The Copa América de Vela, also known simply as the America's Cup, is the oldest and most prestigious sailing competition in the world. Started in 1851, the regatta has been the epitome of sailing excellence, technological innovation and international competition.

History of the Sailing America's Cup

The history of the America's Cup of Sailing dates back to 1851, when a regatta was to be held around the Isle of Wight called the Queen's Cup. In this competition, fourteen boats from the Royal London Yacht Squadron faced the American schooner America .

The trophy, a silver jug valued at 100 guineas, was won by the schooner America, marking a milestone in sailing history.

The New York Yacht Club Domain

The trophy was donated to the New York Yacht Club with the commitment to promote international sailing competition, renaming the regatta the America's Cup. For more than a century, the New York club accepted challenges from clubs around the world without anyone being able to take the title away from it.

The hegemony of the New York Yacht Club ended in 1983 when Australia II of the Royal Perth Yacht Club managed to win. Since then, clubs from four countries have owned the Copa América: the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland.

Deed of Gift and Protocol

Throughout the history of the America's Cup, the Deed of Gift has been a crucial document that sets out the main rules. It has undergone modifications over the years, and the third version of the document, from 1985, is currently in force.

What is the Protocol?

The “Protocol” is an essential document for the Copa América. It is written by the defender, and contains the rules for the competition. For the 2024 edition, the document was signed by:

• The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Incorporated (“RNZYS”), from New Zealand, winner of the last America's Cup.

• And the English Royal Yacht Squadron Limited (“RYS”), who in March 2021 presented (and was accepted) its candidacy as the first challenger to the RNZYS

The Protocol establishes conditions such as participation fees, requirements for challengers and other specific details to ensure fair competition and compliance with the traditions of the regatta.

Conditions

• The competition is held between officially established yacht clubs.
• These clubs must develop their annual regatta at sea.
• The boats must be built in the country of their club and must be able to sail by their means to the port where the competition takes place.
• The ships must have certain dimensions. (There are later documents that develop this point).
• There is a ten-month notice period from the challenging club to the defender.
• The competition will take place between May and October in the northern hemisphere, and between November and April in the southern hemisphere.
• The challenging and defending clubs may adopt by mutual agreement the dates and number of the tests, as well as rules, regulations and other conditions, in which case the ten months' notice may be waived. The agreed conditions cannot go against the Deed of Gift rules or grant any type of time advantages.
• If this agreement does not occur, the number of tests is set at three. The first and third are twenty nautical miles to windward and back. The second is a route in the shape of an equilateral triangle, of thirty-nine nautical miles and whose first section must be towards windward.
• A full day must pass between tests.
• The places where the races take place must be marine spaces, free of coastal protrusions and practicable for vessels with a draft of twenty-two feet. The locations are selected by the defending club.
• The challenging club is obliged to present, together with ten months' notice, the characteristics of its boat. However, the defending club is not, nor does it even have to specify which boat will compete, although once the competition has started the same boat must compete in all the races.
• A test cannot last more than seven hours.
• In the event of dissolution of the defending club, the trophy must pass to another of the same nationality. If this could not be the case, it would go to the previous defending club.
• The America's Cup is the property of the club, not the owner of the winning union, and is always subject to the rules of the Deed of Gift.
• No boat that has been defeated in the competition for the America's Cup may re-enter the competition until another challenger does so or until after a period of two years.
• When a challenger who meets all the conditions has presented himself, no more challengers will be admitted until the tournament is resolved.

The Cup in the Modern Era

The Copa América has maintained its prestige and essence, combining tradition with technological innovation. State-of-the-art sailboats, known as the Formula 1 of sailing, compete in a 1v1 regatta, with unique rules and regulations that make this event a distinctive and exciting competition.

Organization details

In March 2023, the agreement was made official declaring Barcelona as the headquarters of the America's Sailing Cup 2024. Previously, there was active collaboration between the Team New Zealand, current champions of the title and the Spanish delegation.

In this sense, it is Grant Dalton, General Director of the organization, who announces that the opening of the contest will be on August 22, the same day on which the pre-competition regattas will begin that will lead to the Match phase, between 12 and October 27.

For the month of November 2022, the logo of the sporting event is created: the silhouette of the cup accompanied by the “B” of Barcelona. This responsibility was in the hands of Practica Design, a renowned Barcelona studio.

Currently, the entire organization works to create spaces suitable for both athletes and visitors. In fact, more than 55 million euros have been invested in preparations and infrastructure, while the Vice President of the Provincial Council, Jaume Collboni, has made the Maritime Museum available to emerge as the nerve center of the event, which expects to attract more than 2000 million viewers.

Participating Teams Sailing America Cup Barcelona 2024

In the Port of Barcelona, the spaces for the competition have been defined, while the five teams have confirmed both their attendance and their bases, remaining as follows:

• Emirates Team New Zealand: Balearic Ferries / Word Trade Center
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Cinesa / Plaza Odissea
• Ineos Britannia: Coach parking / Imax
• Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli: Levante Dock / Barcelona Nautic Center
• American Magic: Catalunya Pier / Marina Barcelona (MB) 92

Being the current holder of the cup, Team New Zealand will wait for the results of the regattas, a stage of the competition that will take place starting August 22 and in which the rest of the 4 teams will have to compete against each other.

The winner will later face the current champions from October 12 to 27 to try to take the title from them and be crowned the holders of the Copa América Barcelona 2024.

Preliminary Regatta Dates

The previous and preliminary regattas for the Copa América de Vela are scheduled as follows:

1. First Preliminary Regatta: It will be held in Vilanova i La Geltrú, between September 14 and 17, 2023. The teams will compete in the uniquely designed AC40.
2. Second Preliminary Regatta: The next regatta will be in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between November 29 and December 2, 2023. The strict AC40s will also be used, one of the newest and most exciting foiling classes in the world, capable of reaching speeds close to the 50 knots.
3. Third and Last Preliminary Regatta: In August 2024, in Barcelona, the third and final preliminary regatta will take place. In this exciting event, all America's Cup teams will compete for the first time in their new AC75s.

The first two races will provide an exciting opportunity to see the new foiling class in action, while the final preliminary regatta in Barcelona will be a preview of the main competition, with all teams sailing on the sailboats they will use in the 37th America's Cup.