Business leaders in Cork believe the city’s chance to host the 2024 America’s Cup is “ours to lose” and could be secured with the Government’s guarantee of funding.
But as the Irish Examiner reports, there are fears that recent political issues could put a spanner in the works as the race authority meets this evening (Monday 13 September) to choose the preferred bidder.
One of the campaign’s biggest champions — Cork TD and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney — faces a vote of no confidence in the Dáil arising from the Katherine Zappone appointment controversy.
The estimated €150-million hosting bill could be a hard sell with Government attentions elsewhere. But as previously reported on Afloat.ie, the event has been pegged as worth up to €500 million for Cork and the wider economy.
“It’s ours to lose now,” says Cork Chamber president Paula Cogan. “If in a few years time we looked back on this and thought we’d lost this opportunity, it would reflect badly on the decision-makers of the time.
“This is perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Cork, for Ireland, to host such a huge global sporting event. “
The Irish Examiner has more on the story HERE.
