The America's Cup advances, with the victory of the Italian team in the youth category and with the final of the competition getting closer. Although it is not yet known whether it will be the Italian or the British team that will face the New Zealanders in the final, other unknowns are being cleared up, such as the format of the spectacle that will serve to inaugurate the final match race. Drones, visual effects, LED screens, avatars, music and lights will take over the Barcelona night sky on the night of October 10, with a show inspired by the sea, wind and waves, and which has been conceived to attract international attention and be etched in the memory of those who witness it.
Under the name of Barcelona, Lighthouse of the World, the inaugural ceremony conceived with the Olympic Games as a reference will feature the participation of cultural agents from diverse fields, including the orchestra and choir of the Liceu, the castellers of Vilafranca, the Escolanía de Montserrat and the musicians Sara Blanch and Arnau Tordera.
With a soundtrack composed by Albert Guinovart and with the stage direction of Hansel Cereza, the ceremony will highlight the role of sport as an agent of transformation and change, along with art and culture. The direction and production of the event will be carried out by the UTE Barcelona, Far al Món, formed by Focus, Lavinia, Igor Studio and Flock Dron Art, which also illuminated the sky of Barcelona during La Mercè.
And the ceremony has been designed to transmit "unforgettable memories" of the opening ceremony of the 1992 Olympic Games, as well as the values of sustainability, diversity, inclusion, technology and innovation, as highlighted by the CEO of the New Zealand team, Grant Dalton.
Technology and innovation are two factors of the competition that the Deputy Mayor for Economy of the City Council, Jordi Valls, wanted to highlight, stating that the America's Cup has contributed to turning the city's sea into "a driving force for the blue economy." And this event, according to the Minister of Business and Labor, Miquel Sàmper, "has stimulated the growth of the blue economy and the Catalan nautical sector, and has strengthened the research and innovation ecosystem."
Italian victory in the youth category
The opening ceremony of the America's Cup final revealed these details on the same day that the youth category final was held, in which the young sailors of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli took home the title. The Italians defeated American Magic in the decisive race of the Unicredit Youth America's Cup.
The Italians and Americans competed in the race after being the best positioned in Monday's semifinal, in which the young sailors of Sail Team BCN participated, a team that made its debut in this America's Cup. In the third edition of the youth category, the Italian team managed to win the trophy for the first time, after New Zealand won on the first occasion, in 2013, and the British did so in 2017.