BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Barcelona is not interested in repeating as host of the America’s Cup.
“It doesn’t make sense to try to build on the success” of the two-month regatta, city hall official Jordi Valls said.
Barcelona won’t bid for the 38th America’s Cup after Emirates Team New Zealand won its third straight cup on Saturday. That meant New Zealand will again organize the next cup, including picking a venue.
When asked by The Associated Press if New Zealand already has offers from other cities, the team replied, “There absolutely are other bids but we wish to keep these confidential.”
Valencia, south of Barcelona on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, 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.
New Zealand also cast doubt on Barcelona’s suitability after meeting with city hall on Tuesday. It argued the port infrastructure could not accommodate more than the six teams it hosted. The cup organizers 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 criticized 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.
The decision by Barcelona’s city hall came 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.
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