Louis Vuitton Threatens To Dump America’s Cup

Louis Vuitton, the primary sponsor of the America’s Cup, has said that it will
pull its lucrative backing of the event should this year’s Cup be won by the
Swiss-owned Alinghi team.

A spokesman for Louis Vuitton, which has pumped millions of pounds into the
America’s Cup during its 24 year association with the event, cited the
‘over-commercialisation’ of the race as the primary reason for its potential
decision.

With the vast majority of teams supporting Alinghi given its vastly superior
financial backing, Louis Vuitton has voiced fears that the team has become too
financially motivated and that a Swiss victory would pamper to such a scenario
and removes the competitve neutrality of the race.

The winner of the America’s Cup gets to host the next staging of the
lucrative yachting race and the financial superiority of the Swiss team over its
rival Emirates Team New Zealand and a preference for the next event to be staged
in Switzerland has led to a huge leaning towards the former outfit.

Alinghi currently leads Emirates Team New Zealand by 4-2 needing only one
more win to secure this year’s America’s Cup.