New boss for British Cup team

British America's Cup team Athena Racing has announced that legendary sailor and team boss Ian Walker MBE has been appointed chief executive officer. Walker joins Sir Ben Ainslie's team for its Challenge for AC38, reuniting two of Britain's most successful competitive sailors.

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Significantly for British fans, it also sends a strong signal that the Challenger of Record – which has not revealed any major backers since splitting from INEOS in January 2025 – is gearing up for a full-power attack on the 38th America's Cup. Team principal Ainslie added fuel to that fire in an interview with news outlet Reuters on 14 November, saying that a backer would be announced within weeks.

Ainslie also hinted that the team would be able to spend up to the newly enforced budget limitation, with a team cost cap of €75 million introduced for AC38. "In any other development sport where you've got a cap, you're going to push it to the max ... that's the nature of a technical sport, the more you can invest in the development, the better," Ainslie told Reuters.

Three days later Ainslie welcomed his new CEO, saying: "Ian is an exceptional leader with a proven track record of success with high-performance campaigns across the very top of our sport – there are very few people as qualified, both on and off the water.

"He also understands the complexity of running teams that need to be at the forefront of innovation and performance while meeting both budget and timeline demands. For AC38, that timeline is tight, and we needed a CEO who could hit the ground running. Ian can do that, he understands how to drive teams forward and the importance of continuity in achieving the ultimate goal."