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The "American Magic" is one of the participating ships in the America's Cup
Photo: GILLES MARTIN-RAGET / AFP
What's up?
The 36th America's Cup starts on Friday with the Challenger Races.
It's about the oldest sports trophy in the world - the legendary silver jug.
First, three teams from the USA, Great Britain and Italy are fighting for a place in the final races.
The actual cup duel against the defending champion and favorite New Zealand awaits the winner of the elimination from March 6th.
Where is sailing?
As in 2000 and 2003, Auckland will host the world's most prestigious races.
There are six courses in five different zones across Waitemata Harbor and Hauraki Gulf, most of which are easy to see from land for on-site spectators.
Who are the stars?
Defending champion New Zealand is peppered with sailing stars.
The Olympic champions Peter Burling and Blair Tuke brought home the coveted trophy in 2017 with the triumph in front of Bermuda.
Adversary even then: The Australian Jimmy Spithill, nicknamed Pitbull, who this time hired Luna Rossa for the Italian team.
Sir Ben Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, leads the British challengers and aims to win the AC for the UK for the first time in 170 years.
The New Zealander Dean Barker, also a cup veteran, is the helmsman for "American Magic".
Which yachts are in use?
The move away from catamarans after the 35th America's Cup did not result in a return to "traditional" sailing.
The 75-foot-long "AC75" monohulls with eleven sailors on board also stand for fast-paced action, with tests exceeding 90 kilometers per hour.
"The boats are absolute beasts," says Ainslie.
The ships without a keel fly over the water on two characteristic foils and are also called "Kraken Foilers".
"Even if they are monohulls, thanks to the foiling technology, they fly quickly over the water like catamarans, but move more agile," Jochen Schümann told the sports information service: "During the Christmas race there were quite a lot of sailing maneuvers and when the wind is good, we'll see a lot of interaction. "
How can you follow the America's Cup?
From the finale of the challenger series onwards, ServusTV Deutschland will broadcast every race live on TV and online.
In addition, there will be a repeat broadcast on TV on the same day until the decision in the America's Cup match.
From the races to the final of the challenger series, there is an online live stream with international commentary.
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