1.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
2.
Yacht racing
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Yacht racing is a form of sport involving yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing. It is composed of multiple yachts, in competition, racing around a course marked by buoys or other fixed navigational devices or racing longer distances across open water from point-to-point. It can involve a series of races when buoy racing or multiple legs when point-to-point racing, the sporting element in the word lies in the derivation of jaght from the root jaghen, which means to hunt, chase or pursue…. The formal racing of boats is believed to have started with sailboats in the Netherlands some time in the 17th century, soon, in England, custom-built racing yachts began to emerge and the Royal Yacht Squadron was established in 1815. In 1661 John Evelyn recorded a competition between Katherine and Anne, two large royal sailing vessels both of English design, …the wager 100-1, the race from Greenwich to Gravesend and back. One of the vessels was owned, and sometimes steered, by Charles II, in 1782 the Cumberland Fleet, a class of sailing vessel known for its ability to sail close to the wind, were painted racing up the Thames River with spectators viewing from a bridge. Much like today, this obsession with sailing close to the wind with speed, in the nineteenth century most yacht races were started by allotting starting positions to the competitors. Buoys were laid in a line, to which the competitors attached their yachts by means of spring ropes. The yachts were required to all the sails forward of the main mast on deck until the starting signal was given. The Yacht Racing Association was founded in 1875 by Prince Batthyany-Strattman, Captain J. W. Hughes, the Y. R. A. wrote standardised yacht racing rules which included the Flying Start used today. Bringing yacht racing to the forefront of life, the Americas Cup was first raced in 1851 between the New York Yacht Club and the Royal Yacht Squadron. Subsequently, the Cup races were conducted, usually every 3–4 years, based on an issued by one club to the current Cup holder. As yacht racing became more prevalent, and yacht design more diverse, it was necessary to establish systems of measurements and time allowances due to the differences in boat design. Longer yachts are inherently faster than shorter ones, therefore, in the interests of fairness, as a result, both ratings and “one-design” competition were developed. Ratings systems rely upon some formulaic analysis of very specific yacht-design parameters such as length, sail area, displacement. During the 1920s and through the 1970s the Cruising Club of America established a formula by which most racing/cruising boats were designed during that period, most popular family-oriented cruising sailboats will have a rating filed with a local chapter of the PHRF. The most prevalent handicap rating systems today are the ORC, ORR, IRC, and the PHRF. Many countries organise their own handicap systems which do not take account the size, weight, or sail area of the yacht
3.
2007 Louis Vuitton Cup
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The 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup held in Valencia, Spain, from April 16 to June 6 was the event used to select the challenger for the 2007 Americas Cup. Eleven potential challengers competed in the competition consisted of two round robins, two semi-finals and a final. The winner was Emirates Team New Zealand, who challenged the defender Alinghi in June 2007 for the Americas Cup, round robin 2 was completed on May 9,2007. Teams had accrued bonus points based on their results in the Louis Vuitton Acts which took place in the preceding years, for the round-robin races, two points were awarded for a win and zero for a defeat. The first four boats then progressed to the stage of the Louis Vuitton Cup. As winner of the round-robin events Emirates Team New Zealand won the right to choose their opponent, the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup started slowly with all races postponed for the first four days of competition due to light and variable winds. There were rumors that BMW Oracle was planning on rotating the crew off the boat because they were running out of stories to tell as they sat in the waiting for wind. To entertain fans, some came up with interesting stunts. For instance, United Internet Germany came up with a way to wakeboard, the highlights for the week were not on the water, but rather off it. The Measurement Committee released the final rule interpretations, the rules state that any cup team can request an interpretation and remain anonymous. Additionally, any interpretation by the committee stays private for 6 months, every cup team and all the media was trying to find out more about two of the final interpretations. It seems that one boat may have found a significant advantage, Racing was scheduled to start on April 16,2007, but did not get underway until April 20,2007. All the scheduled races for April 21,2007, were postponed by the committee to April 22,2007. Some of the races for April 22,2007, and all of the races on April 23,2007, were postponed by the race committee until April 24,2007. Some of the races for April 27,2007, were postponed by the race committee until April 28,2007, due to very light. The following week brought a wind, and although most days the race committee postponed races for wind. Although many of the results were easy to predict, a few upsets occurred in the first round robin, in the first race of the first flight, the powerhouse from New Zealand lost to the Mascalzone Latino, an Italian challenger. In the fourth flight, Shosholoza, the underdog from South Africa, beat Luna Rossa from Italy, due to the lack of wind the first week, the second round robin began without any lay days after the first
4.
America's Cup
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The Americas Cup, affectionately known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded to the winner of the Americas Cup match races between two sailing yachts. The timing of each match is determined by an agreement between the defender and the challenger, the Americas Cup is the oldest international sporting trophy. The ewer was originally awarded in 1851 by the Royal Yacht Squadron for a race around the Isle of Wight in England, any yacht club that meets the requirements specified in the deed of gift has the right to challenge the yacht club that holds the cup. If the challenging club wins the match, it gains stewardship of the cup, the history and prestige associated with the Americas Cup attracts not only the worlds top sailors and yacht designers but also the involvement of wealthy entrepreneurs and sponsors. It is a test not only of sailing skill and boat and sail design, from the first defense of the cup in 1870 through the twentieth defense in 1967, there was always only one challenger. Since 1983, Louis Vuitton has sponsored the Louis Vuitton Cup as a prize for the winner of the challenger selection series, early matches for the cup were raced between yachts 65–90 ft on the waterline owned by wealthy sportsmen. This culminated with the J-Class regattas of the 1930s, after a long legal battle, the 2010 Americas Cup was raced in 90 ft lwl multihull yachts in a best of three deed of gift match in Valencia, Spain. The victorious Golden Gate Yacht Club then elected to race the 34th Americas Cup in AC72 foiling, Golden Gate Yacht Club successfully defended the cup. The 35th Americas Cup match was announced to be sailed in 50 ft foiling catamarans, the history of the Americas Cup has included legal battles and disputes over rule changes including most recently over the rule changes for the 2017 Americas Cup. It was originally known as the R. Y. S, £100 Cup, standing for a cup of a hundred GB Pounds or sovereigns in value. The cup was subsequently mistakenly engraved as the 100 Guinea Cup by the America syndicate, today, the trophy is officially known as the Americas Cup after the 1851 winning yacht, and is affectionately called the Auld Mug by the sailing community. It is inscribed with names of the yachts that competed for it, the syndicate contracted with pilot boat designer George Steers for a 101 ft schooner, which was christened America and launched on 3 May 1851. On 22 August 1851, America raced against 15 yachts of the Royal Yacht Squadron in the Clubs annual 53-nautical-mile regatta around the Isle of Wight, America won, finishing 8 minutes ahead of the closest rival. Apocryphally, Queen Victoria, who was watching at the line, was reported to have asked who was second. No challenge to race for the Cup was issued until British railway tycoon James Lloyd Ashburys topsail schooner Cambria beat the Yankee schooner Sappho in the Solent in 1868. This success encouraged the Royal Thames Yacht Club in believing that the cup could be back home. Ashbury entered Cambria in the NYYC Queens Cup race in New York City on 8 August against a fleet of seventeen schooners, the Cambria only placed eighth, behind the aging America in fourth place and Franklin Osgoods Magic in the fleets lead. Trying again, Ashbury offered a match race challenge for October 1871
5.
Gargnano
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Gargnano is a town and comune in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. It is situated on the shore of Lake Garda. The municipal territory includes the artificial Valvestino Lake, created in 1962, the name of the village appears for the first time in a document of 937 as Garniano, perhaps derived from the Latin stem Garenius. Passages of the Roman historian Titus Livius and inscriptions on headstones testify to the presence of Etruscans, Celts, Cenomani, from 1350 to 1426 the territory of Gargnano was a dominion of the Visconti of Milan, later a dominion of the Republic of Venice. In 1866 Gargnano was bombarded by the Austrian navy during the fighting on Lake Garda which formed part of the Third Italian War of Independence, won the Siena Square dressage competition in 1942. As colonel of the Third Regiment of the Savoy Cavalry in 1942 he led charges in the Russian campaign that are among the last uses of cavalry in modern warfare
6.
Oracle Team USA
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Oracle Team USA is an American yacht racing syndicate initially formed to compete for the 2003 America’s Cup. They competed again in the 2007 event before winning the 33rd Americas Cup regatta in 2010 – representing the Golden Gate Yacht Club, the team also won the 34th Americas Cup in 2013. Subsequently, the syndicate was renamed to Oracle Team USA to compete for the 2013 34th Americas Cup, the team was created by purchasing the assets of Paul Cayard’s AmericaOne syndicate which was the losing finalist against Luna Rossa in the 2000 Louis Vuitton Cup. The syndicate got off to a start with changes in the skipper position. Oracle reached the finals of the 2003 Louis Vuitton Cup, losing to Alinghi 5–1, BMW Oracle Racing through the GGYC was the Challenger-of-Record for the 2007 America’s Cup which was held in Valencia, Spain. BMW Oracle Racing, lost to Luna Rossa Challenge 5 to 1 in the 2007 Louis Vuitton Cup Semi Finals, Larry Ellison hired Russell Coutts to be the CEO of the 33rd Americas Cup campaign. After extensive court action, Golden Gate Yacht Club was declared Challenger of Record and sailed against SNGs team, Alinghi, in February 2010 in Valencia, the competing boats, Alinghi 5 and USA17 were both 90-foot multihulls. BMW Oracle Racing won the Americas Cup on February 14,2010, off Valencia, Spain, beating Alinghi 2–0 in the best-of-three series, the rigid wing sail of USA17 provided a decisive advantage and Golden Gate Yacht Club won the 2010 Americas Cup by a considerable margin. Oracle Team USA competed in the 2011–13 Americas Cup World Series, in August 2013, the competition jury received a report from Oracle Team USA that their boat and others they had loaned had unauthorized modifications. The team withdrew from the competition on 8 August 2013, penalties imposed included expelling three team members, a $250,000 fine, and a one-point penalty for each of the first two races of the Match in which they would otherwise score a point. Oracle Team USAs Larry Ellison declared that the 34th Americas Cup would be sailed on AC72 class wing-sail catamarans, Oracle Team USA experienced the first major accident involving the new AC72 class, when the boat capsized during training off San Francisco on October 16,2012. Oracle Team USA successfully defended the trophy and won the 2013 Americas Cup on September 25,2013 and they accomplished this achievement by coming back from 7 points down and one point away from defeat in the series, and completing the largest in-series comeback in Americas Cup history. The Wall Street Journal later called it one of the greatest comebacks in sports history, Oracle Team USA was runner up in 2015–16 Americas Cup World Series. Oracle Team USA is the defender of the 35th Americas Cup, the event is scheduled to take place in the Great Sound of Bermuda in 2017, with selection round robins scheduled to start on May 26 and the finals against expected to begin on June 17. The new AC50 class rule will govern the races, Oracle Team USA launched their yacht in February 2017, as of the 2013 Americas Cup, the BMW Oracle/Oracle USA team has owned seven boats. BMW Oracle Racing operated four IACC boats—USA71 and USA76 were built for the 2003 America’s Cup, while USA87, for the 2010 Americas Cup, BMW Oracle Racings entry for the Deed of Gift match was trimaran USA17. Oracle Team USA built two AC72 catamarans for the 2013 Americas Cup—17 and Oracle Team USA17, USA87, On March 26,2006, BMW Oracle Racing christened USA87. The hull is two feet shorter than the older boat USA76 and features a bow sprit, while this boat was initially believed to have a tandem keel, it is now accepted that the boat uses a conventional single strut keel
7.
Finn (dinghy)
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The Finn dinghy is the mens single-handed, cat-rigged Olympic class for sailing. It was designed by Swedish canoe designer, Rickard Sarby, in 1949 for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Since the 1952 debut of the boat, the design has been in every summer Olympics and it currently fills the slot for the Heavyweight Dinghy at the Olympic games. It has been contended that the Finn is the most physical and tactical singlehander sailboat in the world, although the Finn hull has changed little since 1949, there have been developments to the rig. The original spars were made of wood until the late 1960s, aluminum is significantly more flexible and gives more control over sail shape. It became commonplace after the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich when they were first supplied to Olympic sailors, recently, carbon fiber masts have become common place in competitive Finn fleets. The sails too have gone through revolution and are now made of various laminates such as technora, polyester. The class rules are overseen by the International Finn Association, the Finn Gold Cup serves as the World Championship for the Finn class
8.
Summer Olympic Games
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The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad, first held in 1896, is an international multi-sport event that is hosted by a different city every four years. The most recent Olympics were held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the International Olympic Committee organizes the games and oversees the host citys preparations. In each Olympic event, gold medals are awarded for first place, silver medals are awarded for second place, and bronze medals are awarded for third, the Winter Olympic Games were created due to the success of the Summer Olympics. The Olympics have increased in scope from a 42-event competition with fewer than 250 male competitors from 14 nations in 1896 to 302 events with 10,768 competitors from 204 nations in 2012, eighteen countries have hosted the Summer Olympics. The United States has hosted four Summer Olympics, more than any other nation, four cities have hosted two Summer Olympics, Athens, Paris, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. Tokyo is the first city outside of the Western world to host the Summer Olympics multiple times, asia has hosted the Summer Olympics four times in Japan, South Korea, and China. The only Summer Olympics held in the Southern Hemisphere have been in Australia, the 2016 Games are the first Summer Olympics to be held in South America and the first to be held during the local winter season. Africa has yet to host a Summer Olympics, only five countries—Greece, Australia, France, Great Britain, and Switzerland—have been represented at every Summer Olympic Games. The only country to have won at least one medal at every Summer Olympic Games is Great Britain. The United States leads the medal table. Qualification rules for each of the Olympic sports are set by the International Sports Federations that governs that sports international competition, for individual sports, competitors typically qualify through attaining a certain place in a major international event or on the IFs ranking list. There is a rule that maximum three individual athletes may represent each nation per competition. Nations most often qualify teams for team sports through continental qualifying tournaments, each nation may be represented by no more than one team per competition a team is two people in some sports. The United States has hosted four Summer Olympic Games, more than any other nation, the United Kingdom hosted the 2012 Olympic Games, its third Summer Olympic Games, in its capital London, making London the first city to host the Summer Olympic Games three times. Australia, France, Germany, Greece, and Japan have all hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice. Other countries that have hosted the Summer Olympics are Belgium, Brazil, China, Canada, Finland, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the Soviet Union, asia has hosted the Summer Olympics three times and will host again in 2020. In 2016, Rio de Janeiro hosted the first Summer Olympics in South America, three cities have hosted two Summer Olympic Games, Los Angeles, Paris, and Athens. Stockholm has hosted events at two Summer Olympic Games, having hosted the games in 1912 and the events at the 1956 Summer Olympics—which they are usually listed as jointly hosting
Circolo Vela Gargnano
Italy
