Spanish celebs, an amusem*nt park atop a hill, the Auld Mug - and more. Dan Ahwa reports from Barcelona.
This week kicked off the official start of the Louis Vuitton Cup races, a precursor to the main event in the coming weeks - the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup in Barcelona.
The sunny Catalonian capital welcomed five challengers in addition to defending champions (and hosts) Emirates Team New Zealand: INEOS Britannia (UK), Alinghi Red Bull Racing (Switzerland), Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli (Italy), NYYC American Magic (USA) and Orient Express Racing Team (France).
For this week’s Louis Vuitton Cup, the racing was played in three phases: two Round Robins (elimination pools - each team plays each other twice), a semi-final (direct elimination in five winning sets) and a final (in seven winning sets). On Friday, Team New Zealand confirmed some structural damage to their AC75 Taihoro after being carried to its cradle by crane after the team’s lone race on the opening day of the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger series the day prior.
As reported by The New Zealand Herald’s Christopher Reive, the America’s Cup defender will be working around the clock to assess the extent of the damage and what their pathway forward looks like with repair work underway.
The event has already amassed an impressive 714 million viewers, with Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton explaining it’s already an improvement from the America’s Cup regatta in Auckland in 2021. “In Auckland, we had a combined TV audience of 941 million according to Nielsen results. This time before we even started the preliminary regatta, we’d already made 714 million.”
Speaking with international press at the purpose-built Imax theatre located inside the America’s Cup Experience centre and museum, Grant explained that the luxury brand’s involvement as the title partner for the event is synonymous with excellence. “Louis Vuitton Cup has now become synonymous with the America’s Cup in terms of selecting the challenger that ultimately races for the Cup” he says. “It’s like mum and apple pie. You can’t have the America’s Cup without the Louis Vuitton cup because you’ve got to have a challenger.”
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To help celebrate the significant partnership, a mixture of sporting heroes, global media and celebrities gathered at the top of the historic Mount Tibidabo on Tuesday night, to celebrate the significant partnership between Louis Vuitton and the America’s Cup.
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Attendees included five-time Olympic medallist and Louis Vuitton ambassador Léon Marchand, Spanish actresses Georgina Amoros and Maria Pedraza, and Spanish actor Miguel Bernardeau, who witnessed the presentation of the two iconic trophies, the Louis Vuitton Cup and the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup, in their respective Trophy Trunks.
Creating a playful backdrop away from the sea, the Tibidabo Amusem*nt Park has sprawling panoramic views of Barcelona, and the co*cktail party featured the park’s iconic rides including a vintage-inspired carousel and the big wheel Giradabo.
See highlights from the glamorous party below - complete with a Lous Vuitton beer garden, popcorn stand, a giant checkerboard dancefloor, a sexy champagne nightclub and more.
Barcelona’s historic Tibidabo Amusem*nt Park was the backdrop for the Louis Vuitton 37th Americas Cup Party in Barcelona.
Olympic canoeist Pau Echaniz.
Actor Greta Fernandez.
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Custom Louis Vuitton trunks encasing the Louis Vuitton Cup and the America’s Cup.
Actor Maria Pedraza.
Actor Miguel Ángel Bernardeau.
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