The fight for the oldest sports cup in the world

The cup also has a name: “Auld Mug” – which means bottomless pot in German. And this jug is the oldest sports trophy in the world. 67,6 centimeters high and made from 134 ounces of silver-plated Britannia metal (high-alloy tin) in 1848 by the London jeweler R. & G. Garrard.

The British nobleman Lord Henry Paget Anglesey - and not, as is often claimed, Queen Victoria - donated the pot after its completion to the most famous British yacht club, the Royal Yacht Squadron (RYS). Its clubhouse is located in Cowes Castle on the Isle of Wight. The members' yachts have the suffix RYS in their names and, since an order from the British Admiralty in 1829, have had the privilege of being the only civilian vessels to be allowed to fly the Royal Navy's naval flag instead of the national flag. In reference to its purchase price of 100 sovereigns (equivalent to around 35.000 euros today), the cup was named “One Hundred Sovereigns Cup”. “There is no second!” The cup made its first major appearance in 1851. That year the first World's Fair took place in London and for the occasion the Royal Yacht Squadron organized an open race on the regatta course “The Queens Course” around the Isle of Wight. The winner received the pot donated by Lord Anglesey. The regatta was held on August 22, 1851 and was won in a dominant manner by the American schooner “America” from the New York Yacht Club – in front of Queen Victoria. Trying to find a word of comfort, the disappointed First Lady is said to have asked on board her royal yacht: “And who came second?” An officer is said to have replied: “Your Highness, there is no second!”

In any case, the “America” became the namesake of what is now the oldest and most legendary sailing race in the world. The “America's Cup” was held for the first time in 1870 as a successor to the “One Hundred Sovereigns Cup” and since then it has taken place at irregular intervals (usually every 3 to 4 years). In 1958 the bottomless jug even had a bottom. Whoever wins 7 races first The match race discipline - the duel between just two boats - only became established with the fourth edition of the Cup in 1876, when for the first time only two yachts competed against each other, the Canadian challenger “Countess of Dufferin” and the victorious American defender “Madeleine”. .

The fans of Team New Zealand. © APA/afp / GILLES MARTIN-RAGET

Sailing now takes place in “Best of 13” mode. So whoever records seven wins first wins the pot. The decisive phase in the match race begins five minutes before the starting signal with the immersion phase in the imaginary starting box. During these minutes, which are often crucial for the course of the race, the opponents try to position themselves optimally. Sometimes it is even possible to force the opponent to make a mistake with a clever maneuver, which in the worst case is punished by the referees on the water with a penalty. The penalized yacht must then complete a 270 degree penalty turn at a time of its choosing during the remainder of the duel. The unpopular maneuver takes around 30 seconds on average and almost always automatically leads to defeat in close encounters. Many sailors compare the pre-start phase in a match race to a mixture of chess and boxing on the water. For 132 years, the USA was ahead For 132 years, the world's premier sailing regatta was a symbol of U.S. superiority. The victories of the Star-Spangled Banner boats were considered so predictable that the New York Yacht Club quickly screwed the world's oldest sports trophy onto its display case base. It was not until 1987 that Australia broke through this phalanx for the first time. But just a year later, the USA took back the “Auld Mug”. In 2000 New Zealand was victorious for the first time. In 2003 the “Kiwis” defended the cup. It was the Swiss' turn twice, in 2007 and 2010. In 2, the US sailors were able to celebrate again and 2013 years ago, sailing-crazy New Zealand won back the cup.

Peter Burling from Team New Zealand (left) and Max Sirena from Team Italy are fighting for this pot. © APA/afp / GILLES MARTIN-RAGET

And the defending champions have put themselves in a good position this year too. The 36th match for the America's Cup enters the decisive phase on Tuesday with a two-point lead for New Zealand. The defending champion achieved a breakthrough on Monday in the duel with challengers Italy after an even balance so far. The crew around “Te Rehutai” helmsman Peter Burling won both races of the day for the first time and took a 5:3 lead. With seven necessary victories, the decision could come on Tuesday in races nine and ten. But “Luna Rossa” skipper Francesco Bruni and his crew want to prevent this at all costs.

What makes the America's Cup myth is that it has always been a battle between the old and the new world. And only if “Luna Rossa” managed to turn things around could the Cup return to the Old World, where it once began.

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The fight for the oldest sports cup in the world

No, it's not footballers, rugby players or boxers who are fighting for the world's oldest sports trophy. They are athletes from a completely different sport. And this has been the case for over 160 years. It's that time again now. And a preliminary decision could be made in this fight on Tuesday.

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