Emirates Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton has attempted to smooth the waters around the team's stance on hosting the next America's Cup in home waters, saying a bid to do so is about $50 million short of being a viable option. Since the end of the 36th America's Cup in Auckland earlier this year, there has been speculation as to where the next edition would be held, with the belief that it would almost certainly be offshore. While Ireland, Spain and Saudi Arabia have all been floated as possible venues, a bid launched by Kiwi rich lister Mark Dunphy to once again host the Cup in Auckland has drawn a lot of attention. "Since March this year our numbers of an overall budget of $200m split between team ($120m) and event costs ($80m) have never changed," Dalton said. To be clear, categorically, it is not a process of 'selecting the highest bidder', as has also been mischievously circulated.

Source: New Zealand Herald December 09, 2021 22:24 UTC