America's Cup
بتاريخ الخميس، 17 سبتمبر 2009
America's Cup Mideast host seeks to calm jitters
Kuwait Times
Published Date: August 29, 2009
RAS AL-KHAIMAH: No one will mistake this for Valencia. To reach the site picked for the next America's Cup, swing past the camel racetrack near the airport. Then pass by South Asian groceries and dusty rows of villas under construction.
Finally, turn toward a stretch of the Persian Gulf where the ruling sheikhs are building an island shaped a bit like a plant inspired by Dr. Seuss. In a region where sports is routinely pushed to anything-is-possible heights -- biggest, richest, most lavish -- snagging the venerable America's Cup is something apart even for the United Arab Emirates Emirates' outsized visions.
The oldest trophy in international sports is scheduled to be decided this February off a little-known seaport, often called by its initials RAK, that's still very much a work in progress -- and so close to Iran that the owner of the US-based entry has talked openly about his security concerns.
But barring major snags, the 158-year-old competition is off to RAK. "We are ready. We are just waiting for the boats to arrive," said Khater Massaad, adviser to Ras al-Khaimah's crown prince.
Two-time defending champion Alinghi of Switzerland -- holding the winner's right to pick the venue -- made the surprise selection of RAK early in August. It sets up a rare, head-to-head series against the American challenger, BMW Oracle Racing.
After the announcement, Alinghi skipper Brad Butterworth -- a four-time America's Cup winner -- said the steady and warm winter breeze off Ras al-Khaimah reminded him of the Caribbean. His rival, Russell Coutts, said he had to look it up on the map.
Here's an easy locator tip: Find the gulf west of Saudi Arabia, head southeast and stop just before the narrow Strait of Hormuz. Ras al-Khaimah is on the southern shore. Iran's coastline is on the other side less than 80 miles (130 kilometers) away.
This is partly what unnerves the owner of BMW Oracle, software mogul Larry Ellison. At an Aug. 11 presentation of his crew and futuristic trimaran in San Diego, Ellison ticked off his worries: Proximity to Iranian territorial waters and the overall security for the event.
So we're all concerned about the safety of our crew and our shore crew and everyone getting set up there," said the founder and CEO of Oracle Corp. Whether that's enough to try to fight Alinghi's venue is not yet clear.
Ellison, however, warned that BMW Oracle Racing is likely to go back to court over race rules, on-the-water umpires and the jury, citing possible unfair influence by the Alinghi owner, Swiss biotech tycoon Ernesto Bertarelli.
Organizers of the RAK venue answer the security questions with a question of their own: How many major terrorist attacks have struck the UAE in the past decades? None. "There are no security issues to be concerned about in the UAE," Massaad said.
That's a fact." It's true that the Emirates have not faced the kind of terrorism pressures of other countries in the region. Security remains noticeably light and discreet at hotels and other high-profile sites. Emirati forces also have gained vast experience in recent years guarding some of the world's top sporting events and superstars such as Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and David Beckham.
Yet the oasis image can only go so far. Diplomatic missions in the Emirates have raised their terror alert status from time to time. "No one is saying that this region is without risks, but there's no internal threat in the UAE as in other places," said Mustafa Alani, director of national security and terrorism studies at the Gulf Research Center in Dubai.
Plus, the UAE is a highly controlled country." Visas are closely regulated by Emirati officials and the Big Brother aura is strong. Almost any official transaction registers on a central database that includes phone numbers, addresses and work visa sponsor. "You are monitored from the time you arrive to the time you leave," Alani said.
But with Iran just over the horizon, some still feel uneasy _ or at least wondering whether staging the America's Cup on Iran's doorstep sends the right message as sports once against spills over into politics.
US congressman Brad Sherman, who heads Congress' subcommittee on terrorism, nonproliferation and trade, claims Ras al-Khaimah and other UAE ports have been "utilized by smuggling networks to assist Iran's weapons programs and its nuclear program.
He urges that Washington demand stronger controls by UAE authorities on exports to Iran as a precondition for deeper ties, including a pact this year to offer American nuclear technology to the Emirates.
The Emirates -- which has strong economic ties with Iran -- has come under scrutiny for allowing possible military and nuclear-related shipments to pass through UAE ports en route to Iran in violation of American sanctions.
A US diplomat, however, said Emirati officials have been making strides on more comprehensive monitoring of cargo traffic. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
In Bahrain, a spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet, Lt. Nate Christensen, said Navy commanders were aware of the America's Cup venue but had not received any request to "provide support." What the racers will likely see is certainly quite different than the waters off past America's Cup venues:
New York; Newport, Rhode Island; Fremantle, Australia; San Diego; Auckland, New Zealand; and Valencia, Spain. A nonstop stream of supertankers and other vessels passes through the busy Strait of Hormuz.
Two offshore oil fields rise from the turquoise water near Ras al-Khaimah -- which means "head of the tent" in Arabic and comes, according to one local tale, from the golden tent top of an invading Persian warlord.
On shore, it's also terra incognita for the America's Cup entourages. The 90-foot (27-meter) boats will glide into a natural lagoon and moor at a manmade island that's so new it doesn't yet have a name. The rest of the port has the off-balance feel of a place that's moving from sleepy obscurity to something more in line with its flashier cousins in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Single-story shops sit in the shadow of rising residential complexes and expanding luxury resorts. Asian workers in orange coveralls steer traffic around construction zones marked by polite signs apologizing for the inconvenience but promising big things to come. -AP
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