ORIGIN Announcement

From the new ORIGIN team website....

Sir Keith Mills launches ground-breaking British bid for the oldest trophy in international sport

Sir Keith Mills, the British businessman who ran London’s victorious bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, today announced he is to create a new British America’s Cup sailing team. The team, to be named ORIGIN, will comprise some of the world’s leading sailors and boat designers from the UK and beyond with the aim of winning the America’s Cup and bringing the world’s longest running sporting event back to British shores for the first time since its inception over 150 years ago.

At today’s announcement at the Design Museum in London, Sir Keith Mills revealed that ORIGIN will participate in at least two America’s Cup campaigns, likely to take place in 2009 and 2011 respectively. ORIGIN’s crew members, boat designers and management teams will be recruited over the next six months, and will be announced following the completion of the current 32nd America’s Cup event taking place in Valencia from 23rd June to 7th July 2007.

Full story

GBR Originates a Challenge

In a few minutes' time up in London, the ORIGIN Challenge for AC 33 representing the United Kingdom of Great Britian will be announced.

We have it on good authority that those pictured below, most of whom are well known in British sailing circles if not to most of us currently involved in the America's Cup, are the key people in this very welcome addition to the Cup community.



From left, Leslie Ryan (communications), RYA Chief Executive Rod Carr (advisor), 2012 London Olympic Bid head Sir Keith Mills (team principal), former Alinghi marketeer Nick Masson (commercial), and Andy Green (sailing logistics).

London AC Press Conference Tomorrow

This afternoon the following media alert was received by various media outlets, general and specialist (sailing):


MEDIA ALERT

***Major British Sporting Announcement***

What: Announcement of a new British America’s Cup Team

Who: Key figures from the British sports industry, including Rod Carr, Chief Executive of the RYA, and the Rt Hon Richard Caborn MP, Minister for Sport

When: 11.00am Thursday 4th January 2007

Where: Design Museum, Shad Thames, London SE1 2YD (directions attached)

You may find our 20 November post here on the CCB is relevant.

British Challenge for AC33?

Our ever-reliable search engines just returned this tidbit from the UK's BrandRepublic website, in a story about the "Power 100" -- a list of the 100 most influential figures in the UK marketing industry.

In 12th spot (just ahead of Sir Richard Branson of Virgin, etc. fame):

12. SIR KEITH MILLS - LOCOG
Last year was all about London 2012, and chief executive Sir Keith Mills has surely received more awards over the past 12 months than his mantelpiece can handle. After a knighthood from the Queen, he was named Business Leader of the Year at the London Business Awards 2005. London 2012 organising committee (LOCOG) chairman Lord Coe may have been the face of the bid team, but Mills has been rightly recognised by many as having been equally important in bringing the Olympics to the capital for the first time since 1948. Mills now operates in a non-executive role for LOCOG, but if it all gets too much, he can always relax on his rather large yacht. An avid sailor, he is now heading a British challenge for the America's Cup.