Italian skipper says Cup champ Oracle cheated
Oracle Team USA, left, trains as Emirates Team New Zealand, right, heads for the start of an America's Cup challenger series sailing race against Luna Rossa Challenge of Italy, Tuesday, July 23, 2013, in San Francisco. Emirates Team New Zealand won the race. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Skipper Max Sirena of Italy’s Luna Rossa is the latest America’s Cup competitor to accuse defending champion Oracle Team USA of cheating.
When asked Thursday at a news conference about the latest America’s Cup controversy, Sirena said, “For sure.”
Oracle last week acknowledged it modified its boats without permission of the Measurement Committee for four America’s Cup World Series regattas last year, which were warm-ups to the 34th America’s Cup.
Oracle’s admission prompted Grant Dalton, the managing director of Emirates Team New Zealand, to tell the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday that he thought the American syndicate was cheating.
An international jury is investigating and can sanction Oracle, including a fine, forfeiture of races or disqualification from the America’s Cup.
