Alinghi want court to set America's Cup date

MADRID, Spain -- America's Cup holders Alinghi want a US court to name the date for their multihull clash with American challengers Oracle, which will decide the 33rd edition of the contest.

Discussions between the teams in Geneva failed to resolve a date for the next encounter in the world's longest-running sports competition.

Alinghi, owned by Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli, want the race in July 2009 while San Francisco-based Oracle, backed by US billionaire Larry Ellison, are demanding October 2008.

Last week the New York Supreme Court backed Oracle in its legal challenge to Alinghi over the rules of the event, setting the stage for a rare multihull face-off between the two sides rather than a traditional regatta.

But the court, the trustee of the Deed of Gift, the 1887 document which details the competition's complex rules, did not set a new date.

"Larry Ellison wants the America's Cup, but he doesn't seem to be prepared to win it through a competitive regatta on the water," Bertarelli said in a statement released by Alinghi.

Alinghi says it cannot build a competitive multihull yacht by October and has requested another year to prepare in order to adequately defend their crown for what would be their third straight title in yachting's showpiece event.

Both teams have already begun to practice for a multihull duel.

Alinghi, which has little experience in multihull racing, retained the America's Cup by beating Team New Zealand in a hugely successful event in Valencia in July.

In November the organizers indefinitely postponed the 33rd edition because of the uncertainty raised by Oracle's legal challenge.

The 34th edition should revert to regatta format, and is expected to to take place in 2011.

America's Cup team Mascalzone Latino is hoping that Oracle will win in the courtroom and on the water.

Team owner Vincenzo Onorato said the integrity and future of the sport's oldest competition can only be saved if the American team emerges as the champion after a face-off with Alinghi.

"The best solution now would be to hold the multihull challenge between Oracle and Alinghi, even if, yet again, the latter try to delay the event using every possible tactic," Onorato said Thursday in a statement.

"For the survival of the America's Cup, we must hope that Oracle wins, and after that we'll have to roll up our sleeves and work hard."

Team New Zealand, who are suing Alinghi, have already called on the Swiss syndicate to forfeit.

"Alinghi took advantage of the extremely weak economic position, in which most of the teams found themselves, to impose its own will," Onorato said.

"This event has been profoundly damaged by Alinghi." E-mail to a friend