America's Cup officials have reduced the prospective venues for the next regatta from four to three, and it appears San Francisco has been eliminated.
Russell Coutts, the CEO of two-time defending champion Oracle Team USA, told The Associated Press on Monday night that one venue has been eliminated, and that he plans to reduce the field to two by the end of June.
Coutts wouldn't confirm which city is out. But it's been known for months that San Francisco - the hometown of Oracle Team USA - hasn't offered terms as attractive as those offered by San Diego, Bermuda and Chicago to host the final rounds of the 2017 regatta.
Officials in San Francisco didn't respond to requests for comment.
Bob Nelson, the chairman of the board of commissioners at the Unified Port of San Diego, confirmed that his city's bid has advanced.
"This evening the Port of San Diego received written word from the America's Cup Event Authority that the field has been narrowed to three and that San Diego is among those three," Nelson told The AP.
"We're very excited to hear this. There's a lot of hard work ahead to try to secure this race in a way that benefits the people of our region and also advances the interest of the sport."
Although the 2013 America's Cup was troubled in many ways, racing on San Francisco Bay was spectacular, with the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz bordering the first inshore race course in the regatta's long history.
Oracle Team USA, owned by software billionaire Larry Ellison and backed by the Golden Gate Yacht Club, staged one of the greatest comebacks in sports to beat Emirates Team New Zealand and retain the oldest trophy in international sport.
But America's Cup officials have been unhappy that San Francisco officials aren't offering the same terms as last year, including free rent for piers as well as police, fire and other services. Cup officials also are opposed to paying the equivalent of union wages for construction work.
While last summer's regatta gave the staid old America's Cup a remarkable adrenaline rush, it generated less economic impact in the Bay Area than projected and cost city taxpayers more than $5 million.
San Francisco probably has the best sailing conditions, but Coutts has made it clear that commercial considerations are important for the next America's Cup.
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