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Spain will have two teams in the Copa América, which will be held in 2024 in the waters of Barcelona. Guillermo Altadill, a Spanish oceangoing sailor with great international prestige, will be the CEO of both. “When I met with Grant Dalton to try to convince him that the option of Barcelona as the venue was the best, the CEO of Team New Zealand told me that Spain had to participate in this edition in some way. He replied that there was no money to face a challenge for 2024 and he told me that money would not be a problem ».
The Barcelona sailor was perplexed by such a statement. Finding the money has always been a problem in this competition, but “Dalton told me that with the tax exceptions between the sponsors of the America’s Cup and New Zealand they would pay for everything from minute zero”.
Altadill has already started organizing the teams. One for young people under 25 years of age, among whom it is compulsory for a girl to navigate, and another exclusive for women with no age limit. All the members of these two teams have to be of Spanish nationality because there is a rule that requires it, so Spain can have great potential in these two categories.
“I am already talking to very young sailors to make a selection of 12 sailors per team, although in the AC 40 only four sail”He says.
The ships will also be funded by Grant Dalton. “He is very interested in Spain having these two teams competing because he needs our country to relate to him as a home team, since if New Zealand were to defend the title positively, it is very likely that Barcelona would host the next edition” .
The economic amount of each of the boats is 12 million euros set to sail on the water, although Altadill did not want to talk about how much the total budget of the two teams would be. “At the moment we are waiting for hulls 9 and 10 to be awarded to us, since we are currently the last in the joint order for the boats.”
To sail in this highly technological America’s Cup, you have to be highly trained and skilled in handling the AC 40. “For now, as we have crew members, we are going to train and compete with the 69F, some boats that have already sailed in Valencia and that will do so in Puerto Portals in October. For this, it is planned to buy one for the girls and rent another for the boys. That is the plan, which I think is very good, in addition to counting on the sailors under 25 years of age who are sailing in the Sail GP Circuit».
Guillermo Altadill is already thinking about the 38th edition, since by regulation it will be held with the same boats, the AC 75s, and whether New Zealand wins or Switzerland wins, the chances of being held in Barcelona are very high, and that is where After participating in the 37th youth edition, Spain may have the opportunity to make the leap to the Copa América senior.
www.abc.es
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism