A company led by Keith Mills will run the British leg of an int'l sailing tournament set to debut next year.GETTY IMAGES
The entrepreneur who led London's bid to host the 2012 Olympics will lead Britain's "charge into a new global sailing league" being bankrolled by Oracle Exec Chair Larry Ellison, according to Mark Kleinman of SKY NEWS. A company led by Keith Mills, who founded the Air Miles and Nectar customer loyalty programs, will run the British leg of a new int'l tournament that will get underway next year. The sailing industry has been "abuzz with speculation for months" about Ellison's plans for a competition that will "effectively act as a rival to the America's Cup." Sources said that Mills' Origin Sports Group would play a "pivotal" role in the new series' efforts to build a following in Britain, with the tournament expected to be broadcast on free-to-air TV. Under the plans "being hatched" by Ellison, teams from countries including Britain, the U.S. and Japan will compete on boats similar to those which competed in the last America's Cup. Next year's series is "expected to comprise races in five countries," with the number doubling in '20 (SKY NEWS, 9/21). STUFF reported the competition's foiling catamarans from Bermuda are "currently undergoing modifications to make them one-design." Just who will sail them "remains to be seen." Of the six helmsmen from Bermuda, four already have America's Cup 2021 gigs, with Peter Burling (Team New Zealand), Jimmy Spithill (Luna Rossa, Italy), Dean Barker (American Magic) and Ben Ainslie (Ineos Team UK) "tied up." That leaves Artemis Racing's Nathan Outteridge and Team France's Franck Cammas in contention. Clouding their involvement is Artemis apparently being lukewarm on the catamaran series and Cammas insisting he "still has America's Cup ambitions if he can get the funding" (STUFF, 9/24).
