Alinghi withdraws from next America’s Cup

Swiss two-time America’s Cup winners Alinghi announced this week that they will not be participating in the race’s next edition in 2013.

Two other teams, Britain’s TeamOrigin and Team Germany, had also declared their decisions to withdraw from the race in recent weeks.

“After a careful evaluation of the protocol and other initiatives taken by the Defender (BMW Oracle) and its Challenger of Record (Mascalzone Latino), Alinghi considers that the existing conditions make it impossible for the team to participate in the 34th America’s Cup,” read a statement from Alinghi.

The team, directed by Ernesto Bertarelli, added that they would now be participating in the Extreme Sailing Series, a series of regattas contested by 40-foot catamarans.

According to the Alinghi statement, the Extreme Sailing Series “provides the perfect ground for Alinghi to develop its international sailing activity”.

Alinghi have won the prestigious America’s Cup, one of the world’s oldest sporting competitions, in 2003 and 2007.

In this year’s race in Valencia, Spain, following a long legal battle over the rules governing the event, Alinghi was beaten 2-0 by BMW Oracle’s yacht USA 17.