America’s Cup: Ben Ainslie quits Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Britannia sailing team
Four-time Olympic champion Ben Ainslie has parted ways with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Britannia America’s Cup sailing team.
Ainslie, 47, reportedly, external He had a strained relationship with Manchester United co-owner Ratcliffe over planning for the next America’s Cup, which led to their separation.
Ainslie was the team principal and captain of Ineos Britannia, who received Ratcliffe’s support in 2018 to secure the first victory for Great Britain in the yacht race since it began in 1851.
Ineos said in a statement that they “could not reach agreement” with Ainslie on “terms going forward” after last year’s event in Barcelona, which was won by New Zealand.
Ineos plans to compete in the next America’s Cup under the name Britannia.
Ainslie’s team responded that they were “surprised” by Ineos’s future plans for the America’s Cup and that it “poses significant legal and practical hurdles for them”.
Following the split, Ainslie’s America’s Cup team would be known as Athena Racing.
Ratcliffe did not directly address the split with Ainslie in the Ineos statement, but said he was “very proud to have developed a British boat for the first time in decades that was genuinely competitive”.
Ainslie won medals at five consecutive Olympics since 1996, including gold medals at four consecutive Games from 2000 to 2012.
Since winning gold at London 2012, Ainslie’s aim has been to claim the America’s Cup for Great Britain, but all his attempts in a British boat, including those supported by Ineos, have ended in disappointment.
