The Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup Preliminary Regatta opened in Naples with a ceremony on the island of Nisida, marking the countdown to racing this Friday.
From Nisida, guests could see straight across to Bagnoli, where the team bases are being built ahead of the regatta. Government and local officials, who have overseen the logistics of both this regatta and the 2027 America's Cup itself, welcomed the sailing world to the city.
Marzio Perrelli, CEO of the America's Cup Partnership, set the tone early. "I would like us no longer to be considered guests, but, for the coming months, citizens of Naples," he said. "We'd like to be seen not just as the ones who brought the America's Cup to Naples, but as the ones whom Naples uses to become more international. So it's a great responsibility, but that, in turn, is the magic and the power of sport on an international level."
He didn't let the mood stay soft for long.
"Now let's talk about the races starting on Friday, the preliminary races," Perrelli said. "Let's make it clear straight away that there is absolutely nothing 'friendly' about the America's Cup. So all the teams will be competing with the same competitiveness and aggression towards one another that has always existed, whether on land or at sea, 365 days a year. It's not just a regatta; it's not just a sporting event."
He went further on what drives the competition. "The America's Cup is a competition where the level of technology and human effort are pushed to the limit and every day, all the teams get up and think: 'How can I be a bit faster than yesterday, a bit faster than the day before?'" Perrelli said. "In other words, it's a constant challenge to raise the bar."
That challenge, he pointed out, isn't just for the men. "It involves men, young men and women; the preliminary races, in particular, are a bit of a free-for-all, and anyone who was in Cagliari will remember that right up until the very last day, the young men and women on one of the red boats were battling it out to win the trophy."
Perrelli then flagged something for the history books. "There's another record that Napoli will set, and one that we can already say today: next July, the Cup will be raised aloft by a woman, and this is quite a unique event because, as you know, under the new regulations there will be six people on board the boats: one guest and five athletes, one of whom is a woman; so we already know that next July the cup will be raised by a woman, and I imagine this will be another image that will be seen around the world."
Roberto Fico, President of the Campania Region, spoke next on what the regatta means beyond the racecourse. "When institutions work together, it always yields good results if we all share the same goal," Fico said. "We are all working very well together to ensure this event takes place in the best possible way."
His remarks turned to legacy, and to the sea itself. "Events like this are important in their own right, but above all when they manage to transform a wonderful, complex event into one that is as widely attended as possible, as popular as possible and, above all, one that has a real impact on the local area, and that is what we, together with the other institutions, are trying to achieve, to leave a positive legacy in our local area, to ensure that this event extends throughout the Campania Region and beyond, so that all areas, including those inland, can benefit, and to ensure that such an important event can be shared, partly in economic and social terms, so that in a few years' time, in Bagnoli, which is a wonderful part of our city, we can all lay out a towel, go to the beach for free and have a swim, because the sea means freedom but it also means accessibility for all citizens, men and women alike, who want to go for a swim for free. And that is what is being achieved."
Minister Abodi, Italy's Minister for Sport & Youth, framed the event in broader terms again.
"We shall not be content, and I hope this applies equally to all our friends supporting the challengers, with it being merely a marvellous sporting event, a spontaneous and memorable occasion with a history spanning over 3 centuries; but it will be a passport to the future, and I believe the choice of this location is absolutely illuminating because, at the same time, it embodies what has been, or rather, what has not been, and what will be and continue to be, set against this marvellous backdrop of the Gulf of Naples, which is part of a larger sea: our Mediterranean, with all its turmoil but also its prospects for peace, I hope, to which we at America's Cup will also seek to make our contribution, precisely in the spirit of collaboration and in the spirit of emotions which, when felt, when sincere, and when expressed even by those in public office, demonstrate that through these sentiments it is possible to overcome the conflicts which, as sport teaches us, must be transformed into healthy competition," Abodi said.
Opera singers closed out the evening, followed by a reception marking the start of what promises to be the most hotly contested leg yet on the Road to Naples 2027.
