CC MEMO -- MAS in AC 33?

From an AFP report carried this morning in Singapore's TodayOnline.com:

Malaysia will make a challenge in 2011 for the America's Cup, the world's oldest sailing competition, a newspaper here has reported.

The New Straits Times said Saturday discussions were under way to organise a team to challenge in the event, with the Malaysian bid likely to be led by top yachtsmen Peter Gilmour of Australia and New Zealand's Russell Coutts.

Gilmour and Coutts are respectively number one and three in the world in the latest International Sailing Federation rankings.

"There is a good chance of both of us working together to get into motion a tangible challenge to compete in the race and even bring the Cup to Malaysia," the paper quoted Gilmour saying. Malaysia has got a reputation of getting things done," he told the daily. "It is perfectly poised to take on the America's Cup challenge with
international partners."

The paper estimated the cost of a Malaysian challenge at 490 million ringgit (130 million US dollars).

The America's Cup is one of the oldest trophies in international sport, dating back to 1851, decades before the advent of the Ashes cricket series and the modern Olympic Games. The competition is held every four years. Swiss syndicate Alinghi, current holders of the Auld Mug, will defend it in Valencia, Spain in 2007.

The original New Straits Time story, from their website, is here. One assumes they mean AC 33, as, of course, the next Cup will not necessarily be in 2011. "MAS" is the Olympic three-letter code, and hence mainsail code, for Malaysia; also, coincidentally, the Spanish word for "more."