New York Court to decide on America’s Cup date
The yachting syndicate defending the America's Cup, Switzerland's Alinghi, has asked a United States court to set a date for its duel with US team Oracle.
The two teams have been at loggerheads for months about the staging of the 33rd competition.
Alinghi, owned by Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, wants the next event to be staged in July 2009, while San Francisco-based Oracle, backed by US billionaire Larry Ellison, has been pushing for October 2008.
The New York Supreme Court has planned a hearing for Wednesday next week to try to settle a date.
Last week, Judge Herman Cahn confirmed an earlier ruling that San Francisco’s Golden Gate Yacht Club, which backs Oracle, was the rightful challenger of record (official challenger) and not a Spanish entry that had been chosen by the Swiss.
Since Oracle and Alinghi could not agree to a traditional multiple-challenger America’s Cup, the one-on-one showdown was considered the next choice.
Alinghi owner Bertarelli has argued that the Swiss team do not have enough time to build a boat to race in October, a claim that Oracle rejects.
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