The 32nd edition of the America's Cup is going to be held in Valencia. It is strange that I haven't talked about this great event yet, which many compare to F1. Valencia won the votings to elect the city to held the competition, even though the champion isn't from Valencia. The Alinghi team, the one defending the cup, is based in Switzerland, a country without sea, so they had to look for a place to sail.
Last summer I spend a weekend in Valencia during the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the World Family Meeting. We had the change to go to the port and see the huge structures that each team has there, and the remodeling of all the infrastructure. As it is said in Todos con Valencia (a website sponsored by the Spanish government) the economic impact of the event will be greater than 6,000 million euros in all the national territory. More than 61,000 working places will be created, including 40,000 in Valencia. The effect of the competition will last until 2015, with an increment of 200 million euros a year. The airport of Valencia has doubled the number of passengers, and there are more than 3,500 journalist covering the regattas.
As you can see, having the America's Cup is an honor for Spain, and a privilege for all those who, like me, love any kind of sports :P.
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