Relations sour between Luna Rossa, America's Cup organiser

A bitter dispute has erupted between America's Cup event organizers and the Challenger of Record Luna Rossa over the Italian team's insistence that racing in the challenger series final should resume immediately even though Auckland remains under limited lockdown because of a community outbreak of COVID-19.

America's Cup Events Ltd. criticized Luna Rossa in a statement to media released Thursday only minutes before Luna Rossa held a news conference at which it sought to explain its desire to restart racing.

Luna Rossa was eager to race even on Thursday and certainly on Friday if arrangements could be put in place in time. The organizing committee has reluctantly agreed racing should start again by the weekend and opposes racing Friday.

Race director Iain Murray of Australia finds himself in an embarrassing position, caught between the warring factions whose dispute stems from their disparate personal interests.

ACE, which is partly controlled by America's Cup defender Team New Zealand, runs the public side of the regatta. It has put in place the infrastructure for the event, funded by national and local taxpayers, and oversees public interaction with the event.

While Auckland moved to a reduced alert level at midnight Wednesday, public gatherings are still restricted to 100 people meaning the large crowds which have followed racing from the Cup Village can no longer do so. Large crowds have also watched racing from vantage points overlooking the race courses.

ACE has indicated its reluctance to see racing take place while spectators, who have helped fund the regatta, are limited in their ability to watch it.

Luna Rossa, as the Challenger of Record, governs the Prada Cup challenger series and therefore has the power to decide when racing takes place. Italian team also holds a 4-0 lead over Britain's Team UK in the first-to-seven-win Prada Cup final.

For that reason, it has had to answer claims it has a conflict of interest in both participating in the races and deciding when they should occur. Team UK so far has sided with ACE in showing reluctance to race while the current alert level remains.