A year from now, on a day like today, sailing fans from all over the world will be more than waiting for Barcelona. Twelve months from now, the ultimate challenger team will face the defending champions, Emirates Team New Zealand, as they prepare to revalidate the America's Cup. The Saló Nàutic has become the turning point. The countdown has begun. The teams that in recent weeks have been concentrating on training to take advantage of the weather conditions in which they will have to sail next year, presented themselves yesterday in society as part of the Port Vell fair to build bridges with the public.
"Together with the previous regatta in Vilanova i la Geltrú, the Saló Nàutic is a point of acceleration in the promotion of the America's Cup", points out Ignasi Armengol, general director of the Fundació Barcelona Capital Nàutica, which unites the supports from the different administrations and that collaborates with the organization.
With the involvement of the Port of Barcelona, whose stand is once again an agora of reflection on the open sector in the city - this year it has been located next to the entrance to the Hall, but outside the facilities -, these days there are dozens of conferences planned with the America's Cup as the protagonist. The America's Cup Experience outreach center, installed in the old Imax, also offers discounts for visitors to the Saló Nàutic.
The six teams had a special role yesterday morning in the Port tent itself. Representatives from New Zealand, the British, the Swiss, the Italians, the Americans and the French explained how they are preparing this countdown. "From now on, what each team does will be decisive, we are all very dependent on the weather and the conditions in Barcelona", pointed out the top manager of the America's Cup, Grant Dalton. The defending team's director of operations, Kevin Shoebridge, acknowledged that "we have the strongest opponents in a long time". Lluís Salvadó, president of the Port; Albert Dalmau, manager of the City Council and Daniel Puig, on behalf of Barcelona Capital Nàutica, made this countdown official.
The Saló Nàutic has reorganized its spaces, as the bases of some of the teams are located in the Old Port. However, sharing scenarios has ended up bringing benefits. "The America's Cup will benefit us all. People still don't get the idea of what all this means", says the president of the Saló Nàutic, Luis Conde. "It would be crazy not to take advantage of this alliance", adds Armengol, who explains that there are twenty projects that have been promoted or accelerated due to this sporting event.
"We are working, with ten Catalan companies, on the decarbonisation of recreational boats", says Armengol. He adds that the opening ceremony to be held will be "innovative" thanks to the participation of several firms. "We will show a way of doing things that will then be copied", he says. He points out that the America's Cup has multiplied "the effort of Barcelona and Catalonia to promote grassroots sailing, so that the youngest are interested in it".
Luis Conde is very clear about one of the legacies that the competition will leave. "One type of tourism that Barcelona is interested in is that of the United States, and there they follow the America's Cup a lot," he explains. "Every day they will see the city on television, which will encourage them to come", adds the president of the Saló Nàutic about the impact that the trophy can have on Barcelona's global projection.
