Pizza on Fire

Barça America's Cup 2024

Barcelona

I don't know whether this photo of Malaga's mayor has been posted here before.

I don't have the pleasure of knowing this person personally but he should definitely be nominated for the 2021 Oscars in comedy and science fiction. I wonder where he gets all that "information". Oman is the poorest of the Gulf countries, facing an acute economic crisis and had to implement extensive austerity measures, well before the pandemic. In fact, its sultan has been visiting the other Gulf countries to ask for financial support. By the way, this is where the Kingdom is investing a small part (US$200 Million) of its sports money: https://frontofficesports.com/greg-norman-to-lead-

I wonder whether any of the holier-than-thou sailors will now ask to ban the UK from hosting any sailing events… https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-police-probe-video-of-men-spitting-at-hanukkah-party-bus-accosting-passengers/

Much to the disdain of the MAGA-loving, Arab-hating crowd of this forum, Jiddah will be the start and finish of the upcoming Dakar rally. It is so strange to see that the yachting community suddenly went berserk about "safety" in Jiddah while everybody else that will crisscross the KSA isn't batting an eye!!! I imagine that every car, truck or motorcycle taking part in the rally will be escorted by an armored Humvee full of marines, an Apache helicopter and a B2 Stealth Bomber just in case the "terrorists" attack…

You are damn right but this is the America's Cup. When you are a challenger you are a fervent believer in democracy, a level playing field, fair rules and whatnot. When you win the Cup and you become the defender you instantly become the Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, you make a 180-degree turn and try to shove up the challengers ass the exact same things you were opposing. It's ironic that 15 years later, the Protocol is a modernized version of what Bertarelli had proposed in 2007. The format and concept are the same, the difference is in technology. Bertarelli had designed internal combust

Definitely! It's first-grade math after all. Would you spend €2 million to have 20,000 people during 10 days or €150 million to have at most 1,000 people for three months?

It seems Valencia decided that holding the 2026 Gay Games is a better investment than funding Grant Dalton's America's Cup defense in 2024(?) or 2025(?) Correct me if I'm wrong but one would assume that after this announcement, the Valencia "bid" to host the America's Cup, if it ever seriously existed, is dead.

Since the conversation on this board seems to have drifted towards that direction, here's an interesting development from the department of hypocricy: https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-state-dept-okays-650-million-potential-air-to-air-missile-deal-saudi-arabia-2021-11-04/ Money talks and bullshit walks. When the checkbooks open, "moral and ethical" standards fly out of the window. Grant Dalton will sell the venue to the highest bidder, if indeed there is any, the way Bertarelli and Ellison did before him. There is nothing wrong with that, it's just a business transaction.

You means these "human rights"? https://reprieve.org/uk/2021/10/22/ahmed-rabbani-cleared-for-release-from-guantanamo/ In 2002, Ahmed was falsely identified as wanted man Hassan Ghul and sold to US personnel in Pakistan. Although they soon realised they had the wrong man, they took him to Afghanistan and tortured him in black sites for 545 days. The abuse he was subjected to is documented in the US Senate torture report. He has been detained without charge or trial by the US for 19 years, the last 17 of them at Guantánamo. He has never met his son, Jawad, who was born after he wa

Actually, the transition to greener energy is a boost for oil producers, short to medium term. There is fewer money going into capex, fewer new oil cells and with consumption still rising, albeit very slowly, demand outstrips offer. Europe will have a tough winter if it gets very cold and Putin will be laughing on his way to the bank to cash his euros... This pattern will probably hold for another 10 years, so for all of you that stand on the moral high ground, I'm sorry but there will be substantial Gulf money for sports until at 2030. Crunch time for them will probably come around 2040

Don't forget that when that decision was issued, 12 years ago, Israel and the UAE had no official diplomatic relations. A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then and the UAE and Israel now have fully-fledged ties. El Al flies from Tel Aviv to Dubai, 3/4 times a week, and a quarter of a million Israelís have visited Dubai since the establishment of relations!!! Even if KSA doesn't fully normalize its relations with Israel, there won't be any issue with Israeli citizens or Jewish fans and team members visiting the venue. They would get a tourist visa. I mean, Bibi himself visit

Putting aside your hatred towards Arabs would you care elaborating on what legal grounds would anyone sue TNZ/RNZYS if Jiddah were the chosen location? This is a serious question. What is, legally, the difference between Cork/Valencia and Jiddah, assuming the Match dates are the ones dictated by the DoG? I still don't understand why so many MAJOR sports organizations can hold successful events in the Kingdom but for some mysterious reason sailing can't. By the way, read this article and watch the video F1 published yesterday: https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.the-circuit-t

Interesting and insightful, as always. Thanks for the link. Putting aside any "ethical" objections, "safety" fears, personal idiosyncrasies, racist bias or whatever you want to call it, could the AC be held in Jiddah in May? Would that be contrary to the DoG or any other rule? I'm not asking whether it's the best option, the one that makes most sense or the one you'd prefer. Could they hold all preliminary racing, including the Challenger series before that and start the actual Cup match on May 1st?