Sir Jim Ratcliffe's INEOS Britannia withdraws America's Cup challenge
It has alleged the decision was due to the 'protracted negotiations' with Athena Racing, the team of INEOS Britannia's former team principal and skipper Sir Ben Ainslie.
It was announced in January that INEOS and four-time Olympic champion Ainslie had split, but INEOS said it still intended to compete at the 38th America's Cup under the Britannia name. Athena responded, saying it was 'astounded' by this plan, warning it raised 'significant legal and practical obstacles' for INEOS.
Advertisement
Athena's social media describes the team as the 'Challenger of Record for the 38th America's Cup'.
INEOS claimed an agreement had been reached to allow both teams to compete, but that after Athena had 'failed to bring the agreement to a timely conclusion', this had impacted INEOS' preparations and led to its withdrawal.
An INEOS statement read: 'INEOS Britannia announces that it has withdrawn its intention to challenge for the next America's Cup. The decision has been taken after a protracted negotiation with Athena Racing Ltd following the conclusion of 37th America's Cup.
'The agreement that had been reached with Athena Racing would have allowed both parties to compete in the next Cup but it depended on a rapid resolution. INEOS Britannia had agreed the substantive terms very quickly, but Athena has failed to bring the agreement to a timely conclusion. INEOS Britannia is of the opinion that this six-month delay has undermined its ability to prepare for the next Cup and so has reluctantly withdrawn its intention to challenge.'
Athena Racing has been contacted by The Athletic for comment.
The America's Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport. INEOS Britannia missed out on a historic victory in October as it was beaten by New Zealand in the final. Britain has never won the competition in its 173-year history and 2024 marked its first final appearance since 1964.
Ratcliffe added: 'This was a very difficult decision to have taken following our challenge at the last two America's Cups. We were the most successful British challenger in modern times with an exceptionally quick boat and we felt with the very effective input from the Mercedes F1 engineers, that we had a real chance at the next Cup. Unfortunately, the opportunity has slipped away.'
The dispute with Athena follows April's news that INEOS had settled a sponsorship dispute with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) over the pair's performance partnership.
Advertisement
INEOS acquired a minority stake in Manchester United in February 2024, with the Glazers remaining majority owners of the club but INEOS controlling football operations.
Ratcliffe's company also own Swiss club Lausanne and has a 17 per cent minority stake in Ligue 1 side Nice.
INEOS has further sporting ventures outside of football, owning one-third of the successful Mercedes F1 team and the INEOS Grenadiers Tour de France-winning cycling team. INEOS Britannia sailing team formed in 2012.
(Lluis Gene/AFP via Getty Images)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
6 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Andrea Varnier, 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games CEO, talks prep plans 200 days out
Andrea Varnier, the Milan Cortina 2026 Chief Executive Officer, spoke with about preparations for the Games, which open in 200 days. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. OlympicTalk: The Olympic and Paralympic medal designs have been revealed. In recent Games, we've seen some complex medal designs, including the Torino 2006 medals, which had the hollow center to represent the Italian piazza. The 2026 medals were described as minimalist on the Milan Cortina website. Why is it that you have gone with this type of design for the medals and not as complex as others? Varnier: That's part of our overall design strategy. It's also in line with our torch design. We studied a lot what was done in the past. Of course, we have the Torino heritage. So, how can you go more extreme than a medal with a hole in the middle? So at one point we said that we're looking to make a different type of statement: a statement about essentiality, about sustainability. And there's references about Italian avant-garde of the 1900s that were actually born in Milan. There's two faces, two parts of the medals, telling a lot of stories, like mountain and city, athletes and everybody that's around the athletes. With the rings in the middle and the Agitos in the middle for the Paralympics, we think it's a very strong statement. OlympicTalk: What are the biggest challenges or areas of focus that you have in getting ready for the Games between now and February? Varnier: We're entering a very interesting phase. After a lot of planning, we're actually starting to build things — overlay and temporary stuff. This is a very good feeling that you start entering the venues — that was mostly on paper until a few days ago. Of course, when you start the operations, many challenges come about. There are a couple of sport infrastructures that are still under construction. Mainly the main hockey arena and the sliding center. The sliding track is fully ready now. They're working on the surrounding areas. So we're monitoring this closely, because before the Games, we still have to perform some test events in these two venues. Nick Zaccardi, OlympicTalk: On the sliding center: over the last year, as this has been in the news and progressing, did you ever have any significant worries that it would be ready? And how satisfied are you now that everything is looking good? Varnier: We were confident that if the government agency that was in charge of works made their plans and said, 'we can do it,' we always try to be optimistic. But nonetheless, we had an alternative plan. But then, following the pre-homologation (test runs by athletes for the first time) in March, we were very happy. Not having the sliding center in Cortina would have been a great damage for the Games, for everybody. Starting from the athletes. The experience of the sliding athletes will have been different. But also for the other athletes in Cortina. They will have missed the opportunity to stay with their colleagues from the sliding sports. It would have been very difficult for the media. It will have been very strange for the spectators. So we were surely very happy when it was finally sure that we were able to do the competition in Cortina. OlympicTalk: What can you say about the plans you have for the Opening Ceremony to incorporate athletes who are at the clusters outside of Milan? Varnier: This is one of the challenges that we have since the beginning, because of the nature of our Games, so widespread. It's virtually impossible for the athletes to be in Milan if they are in the in the mountain clusters. Not only if you compete the next day, but in general, the distances are relevant. So we tried to study the possibility to involve them in different areas and incorporate them in the ceremony. So not just like has been done in the past, to have a video from a village and some people waving, but really being part of the ceremony. So we are developing a potential plan to have some cluster activators. It will be Livigno, Predazzo, and, obviously, Cortina. So in the end, we try to have the athletes staying in these clusters do an actual parade in a venue, potentially with people watching, and then it will be the magic of broadcasters to make sure it will look like a single parade. So the athletes will be all participating. In this model, there will also be some segments that will be performed in the different venues, so that makes it unity regardless of the distances. OlympicTalk: Is the plan still to have two cauldrons, one in Milan, one in Cortina? Varnier: Absolutely. This is for sure. They will be lit at the same time, and then will be going off for the same moment during the Closing Ceremony. OlympicTalk: Why was it decided to have the Olympic Closing Ceremony and Paralympic Opening Ceremony at the Verona Arena, outside of the main competition venue clusters? (Editor's note: The venue plan, including Verona, was decided before Varnier joined the Milan Cortina 2026 team.) Varnier: I think the idea behind that is, first of all, to find something very special. Having an Olympic ceremony and a Paralympic ceremony in an ancient, first century Roman amphitheater, I think, is something extraordinary. Only in Italy you could do something like that. Then Verona, yes, it's out of the competition clusters, but in fact, it is in the middle of the Olympic (venue) system. So we still think it is for some of the athletes and for some of the Olympic family a good point when the competitions are finished, to come down and meet. There's also another important statement that is to do mostly with the Paralympic Opening Ceremony. The Verona Arena has been used for shows for 100 years. And it's not accessible, according to the law. So the government made a 20 million euro investment to make the arena fully accessible. I think this is a very important achievement and a very strong message and legacy of our Games. Because if you can make it accessible in a first century Roman amphitheater, it means that you can do it everywhere. OlympicTalk: The Olympic torch relay will be starting in a few months visiting all of Italy's provinces. What do you foresee will be some of the most memorable images coming from that torch relay? Varnier: One important feature of our route is Italy is the country with the highest number of UNESCO World Heritage sites. We have over 60, and we are going through all of them. This is an important statement that we want to give to the world. Of course, some are quite remote, so it will not be the actual full relay to go there, but we will touch upon all of them. Then we have some other important highlights. For example, we will arrive in Cortina on the 26th of January, so 11 days before the Opening Ceremony. That's exactly the 70th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of the 1956 Games in Cortina. OlympicTalk: Is there anything that we haven't addressed that's important as we look forward to the next 200 days into the start of the Games? Varnier: We're having an incredible volunteer campaign. We are using 18,000 volunteers. We were aiming to have between 40,000 and 50,000 applications. We reached more than 120,000 applications. It means that there's a lot of people passionate for the Games. We have of lot of young people that want to be a volunteer, and that's extraordinary. We saw the incredible number of tickets in the first wave in the spring. Now we're going through a second and final wave starting in the fall. It's very interesting to see that the greatest majority of the tickets have been sold to people 40 years and below. That's a good sign for the Olympic Movement to have so many younger parts of the population that are still enthusiastic about the Games.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Olympic track and field standout Nadine Visser in images
Nadine Visser has been a significant part of the Netherlands' success in track and field events for over a decade, with the talented athlete earning accolades at world championships across Europe. While Visser fell short of an Olympic medal, her accomplishments in securing a spot on Team Netherlands at the Summer Games are just one more impressive mark on her resume. Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser Track and field star Nadine Visser
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
IOC's Christophe Dubi discusses 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympic prep with 200 days to go
International Olympic Committee Executive Director Christophe Dubi spoke with about preparations for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games, which open in 200 days. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. OlympicTalk: What is the state of preparations for these Games from the IOC perspective, and do you have any concerns? Dubi: I've got excitement more than concerns. You loved Paris (2024). You will adore Milano-Cortina, I think we start from a very strong Paris Games, and the expectations are immense, by the way. Let's be very clear, the Games back in the traditional Alpine setting with the Alps and the Dolomites, there are a lot of expectations. I'm just back from Italy. What I really like at this stage is that from all political sides and at all authority levels, but also in the general public, you have a real sense of excitement. That sense that Italy is ready to party, and not only Milano and the regions, but more like what happened in France, where the Games will be the Games for the whole territory. You can feel that. It was pretty obvious with the volunteers campaign, which was too successful. You have too many people disappointed because they're not chosen. Ticketing, which is ongoing, we are halfway through — around 750,000 tickets. So that bodes really well. Now, having said that, six months out, it's a lot of work ahead. It's a lot of time that has passed and a lot of work behind us. But of course, still, all the temporary installations, from temporary ice to temporary stands, mountain build, all the above. So excitement, but also extreme sense of duty with the calendar, which is managed minute by minute. Nick Zaccardi, OlympicTalk: Are you satisfied with how things are progressing with the Cortina sliding track? Dubi: We love the track. Let's be clear here. What they've done in terms of construction time to get to the pre-homologation (test runs by athletes for the first time in March), it was something we had never seen, so we were doubtful. They managed — by a very smart construction and very thoughtful engineering processes — to get to the point where they could have ice on this track, and they tested and validated the fact that it's a safe track. Now we have final homologation, which is a very important step, because this is then opening the season for the testing of the track and availability of the track for all athletes. That is super, super important. Now, the works are not finished, right? So the ice, yes, but when it comes to the actual track itself, to make it an Olympic venue, there is still quite some work to be done. So it's pretty complicated. It requires a super precise coordination. But again, they have demonstrated, and there is no reason to doubt that they're going to be able to do that. OlympicTalk: What plans are there that you know of — and that you can share — for the Opening Ceremony to incorporate athletes who won't be able to be in Milan and are at the other venue clusters? Dubi: The work that they are doing to allow all athletes to — somewhat in different ways, shapes and forms — participate is a defining moment for the next Games to come. Not LA, but for the French Alps 2030 and Brisbane 2032, which is on three clusters, plus a few venues in the region. So the work they do here to have everybody involved is really outstanding. I cannot really reveal more, but it's really a plan that, for us, respects the principle that the Games, no matter how spread they can be, is for the athletes to feel that the Olympic experience is something really different. So that ceremony will be reflecting this principle. Is it easy to do? Absolutely not. It requires an incredible level of coordination for the show, but, hey, Paris was already quite a step. This is somewhat different, because it's not that large of a venue, but it's several venues, and yeah, really we are incredibly thankful to the work that they have done. OlympicTalk: What is the process to determine if Nordic combined will stay on the Olympic program beyond 2026, and if a women's event could be added? Dubi: What can be done for Nordic combined is two things in the future, more than it is today: more universal. You cannot have 27 medals in the last three editions of the Games going to four National Olympic Committees (editor's note: Norway, Germany, Japan and Austria combined to win all of the Nordic combined medals in 2014, 2018 and 2022). So FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) needs to work on that and needs to develop the women's side. You have to have a balanced program in the future. So I prefer to look at it from a glass half-full, which is, what are the conditions that would improve the quality of the sport in the future? More universality. Women. These are the two axes on which we have to work with the federation. OlympicTalk: I want to ask you about the authorized individual neutral athletes, if I may. How will the process for determining which AIN athletes get invited to compete at the Games be similar or different than it was for Paris 2024? Dubi: I'd say similar. It was successful in Paris in the sense that all the frameworks we had put around the conditions for participation worked. We didn't have any problems. So we're very proud of the lineup in Paris from those coming from those territories at war, but also our refugee team. It worked really well, so that's what we build from. Now, what the process exactly will be? To be discussed in the next executive board meetings. But we start from something we know, which is reassuring. OlympicTalk: A specific scheduling question. Ester Ledecka, the skier/snowboarder from Czechia, has said she's requested a schedule change to better accommodate her hope to compete in both Alpine skiing and Alpine snowboarding at the Games. What is the status of that? Dubi: The line is open. So she had conversations with a number of our colleagues in the sports department, and the dialog continues. The facts are the following: she will be able to compete in the two disciplines where she won gold medals: the super-G (Alpine skiing, on Feb. 12 in Cortina, which she won in 2018) and the parallel giant slalom (snowboard, on Feb. 8 in Livigno, which she won in 2018 and 2022). The problem is with the downhill (Alpine skiing, on Feb. 8 in Cortina, the same day as snowboarding's parallel giant slalom). (Editor's note: In the downhill, Ledecka placed 27th at the 2022 Olympics and won bronze at the World Championships this past February. On the World Cup, she had an average finish of seventh place in five downhill starts last season.) Extremely hard to change the schedule at that point in time for all the good reasons. This is something that is built all the time and is impossible to change at that stage. However, happy to continue the conversation and see whether there are some logistics arrangements that can be made. But in any case, and I think this is an important point, I understand that the more opportunities the better. But already we can ensure super-G and snowboard, and then issue remains the downhill. OlympicTalk: Is there anything else that we haven't addressed that's particularly exciting you for these Games 200 days out, or is particularly going to be a focus of yours over the next six months? Dubi: I think it's back to where we started. I think there is this sense of excitement because Paris has had a profound impact on all of us, and the next ones lined up are Milano Cortina. So you have this sense of excitement, and you can feel it, as I said, in the territory, but among the athletes as well. The fact that the Games were very appealing to youth, and we see this now in ticketing as well, where a large portion is for people under 35, is also a sign that probably Paris, more than anything else before, reconnected. Our product remains amazingly exciting, but also, I think the values we are based upon, which is the simplicity of sport, giving that breath at a time where the world is a difficult place for almost everyone. And it's so Italian, and that's great. You go to France. It was so French. It's going to be so Italian, with their extravagance, with their warmth, with their colors.
