Bid to resolve America's Cup row

Ernesto Bertarelli, head of defending champion Alinghi, was scheduled to meet BMW Oracle chief Larry Ellison in San Francisco this weekend to try to resolve their America's Cup dispute.

The two sides have been waging a court battle for more than a year and further legal delays could drown hopes of holding the 33rd edition of the event in Valencia next year.

Silicon Valley billionaire Ellison, whose team sails under the Golden Gate Yacht Club (GGYC) banner, is poised to file an appeal tomorrow against a New York State appeals court ruling that overturned a judgment naming his team as the next challenger.

A spokesman for Swiss team Alinghi said in a statement: "We look forward to productive discussions and hope the situation can be resolved soon."

A New York judge ruled in November that BMW Oracle should be the challenger for the next edition of yachting's biggest prize rather than the Spanish yacht club CNEV favoured by Alinghi.

However, that ruling was reversed by a New York state appeals court in July, leaving Alinghi and the Spanish club as defender and challenger of record.

BMW Oracle said it preferred a multi-challenger series run under rules similar to those that governed the 2007 races rather than competing head-to-head against Alinghi.

The America's Cup was first staged in 1851.