WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand has accepted the Royal Yacht Squadron Racing, represented by INEOS Team UK, as challenger of record for the 37th America’s Cup, Team New Zealand said on Friday.
“The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron have received and accepted a challenge for the 37th America’s Cup from our long-standing British friends at Royal Yacht Squadron Racing (RYSR),” Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron Commodore Aaron Young said in a statement.
“It is great to once again have the RYSR involved, given they were the first yacht club that presented this trophy over 170 years ago, which really started the legacy of the America’s Cup.”
The clubs have agreed the AC75 yachts will be retained for the next two America’s Cup cycles, while a new “Crew Nationality Rule” will require all race crew on each competitor to either be a passport holder of the country or be “physically present in that country … for two of the previous three years prior to 18 March 2021.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
