In most sports with a high incidence of technology, developments are carried out in the most absolute secrecy, with measures that seem almost like something out of a movie.. The Copa América, on the other hand, is different. Despite the fact that engineers work tirelessly to find something new that can be beneficial to their team, espionage is something that is done in broad daylight by the organization itself.. The information collected is even shared through the official channels of the competition, so that everyone can access it.. Fans included.
“Competitors work hard for two or three years before the actual regatta starts.. And, despite the fact that the competition has many fans, many of whom are also very interested in the more technical aspects, there is very little access to what the different teams do to prepare for it.. We wanted to fill that gap, and centralizing espionage with official reconnaissance teams, who work for the governing body, allows us to provide them with information on a daily basis,” says Dan Bernasconi, technical director of Emirates Team New Zealand, the defending champions.
“When we were sailing in Auckland to prepare for the previous campaign, many times we had several pursuit ships looking out for us, one for each of our competitors.. The fact of centralizing this recognition as a service available to all translates into considerable money savings for the teams. And, in addition, it also means an improvement in the safety conditions of the training”, highlights. The decision, however, initially raised some suspicions.
«To participate in the Copa América, you have to subscribe to the rules written by the defending champion, in this case Emirates Team New Zealand, and the first challenger, INEOS Britannia, so, in fact, the rest of the competitors had no choice. to agree. Yes, there was some initial skepticism, but now that this program has been running for a while, everyone appreciates its value and everyone supports it.. The quality, both of the videos and of the photos, is also really good,” Bernasconi reiterates.. Competitors, on the other hand, can't keep any aces up their sleeves in their tests either.
“Nowhere to Hide”
“The rules are clear: there is very little scope to protect your assets from the eyes of reconnaissance teams. Of course, they are not allowed to act within the bases of the different competitors, but, once the doors of the ship are opened and the boat touches the water, there is nowhere to hide, “says the technical director of Emirates Team New Zealand.
The rules are also very strict in relation to the measurements of the different elements that make up the boats. But that is by no means to say that there isn't a lot of room for imagination. “It's true that we have to abide by some very specific design rules, but within them there's a lot of room for freedom when it comes to the design of the form.” of the hull, the ailerons and the sail control systems”, he points out.
Everything, yes, in search of achieving the widest possible audience for this flagship competition in the world of sailing. “The images from these awards offer fascinating insight into everything that goes on behind the scenes at the Copa América.. We had a huge fan base and we wanted to share all these stories with them.. Several web pages and YouTube channels take advantage of them to give their analyzes on the different things that the teams are doing and all of this is fantastic to achieve the interest of all the followers and the growth of this sport, “he explains.
«What we do, in addition, is attracting different types of audience. In addition to those who were already sailing fans, we are also awakening the interest of both those passionate about technology and those who only seek the speed and excitement of regattas”, says Bernasconi»