By Gary Anderson

September 27 - NZOC President Mike Stanley has praised the efforts of Team New Zealand in the recent Americas CupIn an open letter to the defeated America's Cup crew of Team New Zealand, President of the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC), Mike Stanley has praised the "dignity and self-respect" of the team and claimed they did the country "proud".

Stanley's message came after one of the most dramatic America's Cup finales in the 162-year history of the sailing competition, which saw Team New Zealand relinquish an 8-1 lead to end up losing the competition 9-8 to defending champions Oracle Team USA on the final day of racing in San Francisco Bay on Wednesday (September 25).

Team New Zealand, which was financed to the tune of $36million (£18 million/€22 million) by the New Zealand Government, had seven races to secure that all important ninth win to claim back the America's Cup for the first time since 2000.

But, a late charge by Oracle, led by Britain's four-time Olympic champion Sir Ben Ainslie, who was drafted onto the American boat as tactician with the scores at 4-1 to the Kiwis, resulted in heartbreak on the final day for the crew led by skipper Dean Barker.

But Stanley wrote, that the while nature of the defeat will leave the Team New Zealand sailors feeling numb "for a long time, perhaps a life-time", the competition " will go down in our sporting history as one of the most absorbing contests ever, but it should also go down as one of our prouder moments."

"On the water in San Francisco we were represented by a team that had not only given their all to win, but did so in a manner that has earned the respect of us all," wrote Stanley.

"In their darkest hour, they retained their dignity and self-respect and by doing so maintained the integrity of the event, of Oracle's miraculous win and of their own great challenge.

"In their composure they underlined how enriching it can be when passionate, highly skilled individuals united by a strong set of values come together to pit themselves against the best in the world.

"We saw a great New Zealand team in action, sure of themselves and their ability and utterly professional in their pursuit of excellence.

"They understood the magnitude of the challenge and the resources of the defender amassed against them, yet they backed themselves to win."

Team New Zealand let an 8-1 lead slip to lose out to Oracle Team USA in the Americas CupTeam New Zealand let an 8-1 lead slip to lose out to Oracle Team USA in the America's Cup





















Team Oracle, which is bankrolled by American software billionaire Larry Ellison, retained the title they won in 2010 against Swiss boat Alinghi, despite being docked two points after an international jury found them guilty of illegally modifying catamarans without the consent of the Measurement Committee.

However, the team skippered by Australian Jimmy Spithill, finally got to grips with some technical issues when sailing upwind, and allied to the contribution of Sir Ben, and a bit of good fortune in race 13 when the Kiwi boat came within two minutes of winning that crucial ninth point only for the 40-minute time limit to deny them, the American rig finished 44 seconds ahead of their opponents to win the deciding race.

Stanley says that the efforts of Team New Zealand enthralled the country and their behaviour and sportsmanship was a lesson to all.

"They [Team New Zealand] have provided us all a great lesson, that while sport is about the pursuit of winning, it is also about the nature and meaning of that pursuit and how you handle adversity and loss," wrote Stanley.

"In Team New Zealand we have much to celebrate and as a reflection of us as a nation, much for us all to be proud of."

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