Shosholoza will be back for the next America’s Cup whether it is in Europe or New Zealand, the head of the South African syndicate said on Saturday.
Shosholoza was the team everybody loved to love in Valencia, a group mostly made up of South Africans of all races who invited everybody into their base to join ”One team, one nation, one dream”.
After a shaky start, Africa’s first America’s Cup crew proved themselves to be far more than a novelty one Cup wonder, quickly climbing through the ranks, beating big, established teams, and ending the Louis Vuitton Cup seventh.
”South Africa will be a challenger in the next America’s Cup,” team leader Salvatore Sarno said.
”I’m a bit worried about what I’m saying because it means starting again, not sleeping during the nights again but we have created a symbol that is Shosholoza and I want to continue to show this South Africa.”
When Sarno set up the team, he had difficulty signing up sponsors because many companies saw sailing as an elitist sport — not the ideal image for post-apartheid South Africa.
But Shosholoza quickly won the hearts of the people and the press and was voted the favourite sports team in a country better known for its cricket and rugby.
”In the past we couldn’t live together, work together or play together. Shosholoza at one stroke has presented a different image to the world, what we want to become” said team patron Archbishop Desmond Tutu, fondly nicknamed ”Arch”.
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Shosholoza, whose name means ”push forward”, hopes new sponsors will buy into the image and come on board a boat which this time was backed by German telecoms company T-Systems.
Sarno said that if the next Cup was in Valencia in 2009, a second challenge would cost about €30-million ($41-million ), a tiny drop in comparison to their neighbours BMW Oracle who had a budget of about $200-million.
”We cannot look at big money because people in South Africa are homeless … It would be an outrage to the poor people we want to represent so we have to keep a relatively low budget,” he said.
Some small teams have said they may not challenge again if the next Cup is in New Zealand because the distance from Europe makes it harder to organise media coverage and therefore sponsorship.
Sarno said South Africa would be there although an Auckland challenge would cost a bit more.
”We’re tired of winning the Rugby World Cup and cricket triangulars,” he joked. ”New Zealand won the America’s Cup at their third go. We are going to do it after two — seeing as we always beat them at rugby.” – Reuters