Hosting the America’s Cup: does the case for Cork hold water?

There has been widespread frustration at Ireland’s last-minute dithering on the bid for the world-famous yacht race. But some experts question whether the event would cost more than it’s worth

America’s Cup: Emirates Team New Zealand competing against Itay’s Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli Team in Auckland Harbour in New Zealand in March of this year. Picture: Getty

When Grant Dalton and the rest of the America’s Cup selection committee sat down early last Friday morning to assess their options for the 2024 event, the decision that lay ahead of them was somewhat more complex than they’d envisaged just days earlier.

Dalton’s Emirates Team New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron (RNZYS) had expected at the beginning of the week to be able to finalise the preferred bidder for the prestigious ...