MATTHEW SHEA HAN

FROM BIG CHANGES TO OMINOUS QUIET, THERE'S A LOT GOING ON BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE 38TH AMERICA'S CUP

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It doesn’t take much to trigger a reaction in the America’s Cup and change is a very efficient catalyst for stirring up a response.

Be that modifying the nationality rules, or moving from human generated power to electro/hydraulic grunt, or perhaps the suggestion that AI will be used for sail trim and foil control - some will love it, others will hate it. My experience of the public debate is that neither side will hold back. So when a key deadline was missed for the 38th Cup cycle as a crucial agreement failed to attract the appropriate signatures by 9 September, the criticism that followed was inevitable.

Aside from the detail, the core concern is that the nature of the Cup is being changed fundamentally. But then in 174 years no matter what has been done in the name of improvements or simply to skew the pitch, the Cup has carried on regardless of how infuriated some parties may have felt.

The next America’s Cup looks set to be particularly contentious. The detail within the AC38 Protocol will take the event into very new territory and sparks are going to fly. There are obvious hot topics such as reducing the number of crew yet again and introducing fully powered systems, but the biggest move comes with a bundle of documents outlining a huge change in the way the Cup is run.