Auckland held a victory parade for Team New Zealand which won the America’s Cup in Bermuda last week.
The parade started at Aotea Square, then went down Queen St, and along the harbour. Finally, the team entered a boat on the harbour so that more people could see them. About 80,000 people lined the streets along the route, even though it was a wet day. Members of the team held up the silver cup for everyone to see. It is, a very large and beautiful Cup.
Last week the government agreed to give the team $5m so that they can pay everyone for the next few years until the next race. Without that money, some of the team might be tempted to join another country’s team which could pay them very well. This has happened a few times in the America’s Cup races. In fact, the leader of the US yacht, Oracle, is an Australian. $5m will not be enough for a new boat as well; the team will need to find sponsors in the future.
The team which wins the America’s Cup can make the rules for the next race. The team members can decide where it will be held and when. They can also say what kind of boat it must be. At this stage, there is no decision about any of these things including whether Auckland will be the venue for the race.
Vocabulary
• victory (n) – a win, success; (adj) a victory parade celebrates the win
• tempted (v) – to want to take an attractive offer
• sponsors (n) – businesses which pay in exchange for advertising on the boat
• venue (n) – location, place where an event is held