High-level espionage in a 169-year-old competition: Just like a James Bond movie

New Zealand's "Team New Zealand" (TNZ), which is preparing to defend its title in the "America's Cup", which takes place from March 6 to 21 next year, has announced that it has fired several employees suspected of spying for other teams in this 169-year-old and most prestigious sailing competition in the world.

The New Zealanders have admitted that they are investigating how the spies harmed the crew, and are suspected of leaking secrets related to the finances and technology of the sailboats.

"We are not one hundred percent sure of what they wanted or what they got, but the important thing is that we stopped them," said TNZ head Grant Dalton, adding that they were spying for "someone from Europe."

"America's Cup", one of the oldest sports competitions in the world, has always been full of industrial espionage, since each team was allowed to develop the most modern ship technology, and technical innovations were often the key to victory.

Thus, in 2013, the American "Oracle" was fined for spying on the Italian "Luna Rose", and the former winner, American Jimi Spitil, admitted that all teams practice espionage.

"It's like James Bond or the CIA. Everyone has their own teams that spy or carry out counter-intelligence measures, and since the budgets of each team are in the range of the richest football clubs, money is not a problem."

The new, 36th edition of the America's Cup will begin in January with the competition of challengers from Italy, Great Britain and the USA, and the winner will meet the New Zealanders, who won the title three years ago in Bermuda, in the grand final.

New Zealand has invested more than €68 million in organizing the 2021 edition alone.

Since the first edition of the "America's Cup" in 1851, the winners were only American sailboats, so the trophy was nailed in the premises in the American city of Newport, until in 1987 the Australians celebrated sensationally.

Since then, the title has been won three times by the New Zealanders, and twice by the Swiss.