Ireland withdraws bid to host 2024 America’s Cup yacht race in Cork

Ireland has withdrawn its bid to host the 2024 America’s Cup yacht race in Cork, the Department of Tourism and Sport has confirmed.

Ministers Catherine Martin and Jack Chambers said they had decided not to proceed further in the bidding process to host the event “after consultation with party leaders and relevant Cabinet colleagues.”

The Ministers said a technical assessment of Cork harbour indicated the necessary infrastructural and planning arrangements would not be in place to host the event in 2024.

“An event of the calibre of the America’s Cup brings with it an expectation of excellent delivery; the tight timeframe available prior to the 37th edition of the Cup brought with it a large risk of under-delivery,” a statement said.

“The Ministers recognise that hosting such an event would have brought positives for tourism in Cork and the wider region and are committed to providing strong support to the tourism sector to rebuild as quickly as possible.

“However, it is also recognised that a very considerable amount of expenditure would have been required to deliver the event at a time of major and growing demands on the Exchequer and this had to be taken into account in arriving at a decision.”