Swiss Government congratulates Team Alinghi
The President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Pascal Couchepin, and the Swiss Minister of Defence, Civil Protection and
Sports, warmly congratulated Mr. Ernesto Bertarelli and the whole Team Alinghi for their historic victory in the
America's Cup 2003.
Following Team Alinghi's historic victory in the America's Cup 2003, Pascal Couchepin and Samuel Schmid had brief
telephone conversation with Ernesto Bertarelli today. On behalf of the Swiss government and the Swiss people, they
warmly congratulated Mr. Bertarelli and to whole Team Alinghi for their unprecedented achievement. Team Alinghi will
bring the America's Cup back to Europe for the first time in 152 years, a feat which has eluded a number of countries
with a proud seafaring past. The two Ministers stressed the importance of Team Alinghi's extraordinary achievement, not
only for the sake of sport itself, but also because it was the result of close partnership between the worlds of
high-tech, design and the economy. Alinghi's victory had been achieved partly due to its far-reaching scientific
co-operation with the Swiss Federal Institute of
Technology in Lausanne, and was a confirmation of the high quality of Swiss research and development.