Top 10 Oldest Sports Trophies in the World: Oldest trophies Top 10 Oldest Sports Trophies in the World tweet Top 10 Oldest Sports Trophies in the World The history of sports probably extents back to the history of man. Boxing, wrestling and running are among the most ancient sports . Perhaps, competitions using the simple mode of human transport, running, would also have been among the first sports played. Similarly hitting, kicking, throwing a ball like object, as well as sports related to hunting and throwing would also be expected to have been played in early times. The history of sports trophies extents back to mid of 18th century. Before that winners of any competition were awarded with money or land. Sports trophies are most easily defined as a symbol or token of victory. Throughout history, trophies were commonly seen as a token. Trophies are sign of honor and prestige. After a battle, a soldier may have taken a portion of his enemy’s armor or even a body part. Sports trophies made in the form of cups are the oldest form of “man-made” award. Trophies made for the express purpose of honoring an event date back to the mid-18th century.

Here is an overview of the some of the oldest sports trophies in the world. These trophies are still in practice and each of them has a wonderful history behind it. Enjoy browsing. 11. The Challenge Cup 1896 At no 10 in the list of top 10 oldest sports trophies we have the Challenge Cup . It is the one of the most prestigious title in Rugby Football league. It has been held annually since 1896, with the exception of the duration of World War I and the 1939–1940 seasons. The Challenge Cup trophy was designed by silversmiths Fattorini & Sons of Bradford in 1897. The trophy stood 36 inches high manufactured of solid silver and stood on a black ebony base approximately 8 inches deep. The winners of the Cup in looking after the trophy must follow a certain code of practice. When not in a secure cabinet, the trophy must always be in the presence of someone. When the trophy is taken out overnight, somebody must sleep in the same room and if taken in a car there must be two people in attendance.

When it went down to France for some Catalans publicity photos, it even had its own seat on the plane. 10. The Stanley Cup 1893 One of the oldest sports trophies Stanley Cup is the Championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoff winner. The first cup was awarded in 1893 to Montreal HC . It has unique properties that it has the names of all of the winning players, coaches, management and club staff engraved on its chalice. Initially, a new band was added each year but it caused the trophy grow in size. The prevent from growing in 1958, the modern Stanley Cup was designed as one piece cup with five-band barrel each containing 13 winning teams per band. When the band is full the oldest band is replaced with new blank band at the bottom. The oldest band is preserved in the Hockey Hall of Fame. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley’s Cup, The Holy Grail, or as Lord Stanley’s Mug. The original bowl was made of silver and is 18.5 centimeters in height and 29 centimeters in diameter.

The current Stanley Cup, topped with a copy of the original bowl, is made of a silver and nickel alloy; it has a height of 89.54 centimeters and weighs 15.5 kilograms. 9. Ashes Urn 1882–83 The Ashes series played between Australia and England is perhaps oldest cricket competition in the history of cricket. Similarly Ashes Urn is the oldest cricket trophy in our list of oldest sports trophies in the world. The term Ashes originated in an ironic article published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times , immediately after Australia’s 1882 victory at The Oval, their first Test win on English soil. The article stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The mythical ashes immediately became associated with the 1882–83 series played in Australia, before which the English captain Ivo Bligh had vowed to “regain those ashes”. The English media therefore dubbed the tour the quest to regain the Ashes. The Ashes urn is made of terracotta and about 15 cm tall. It is reputed to contain a burnt cricket bail.

In 1998, Lord Darnley’s 82-year-old daughter-in-law said they were the remains of her mother-in-law’s veil, not a bail. Other evidence suggests a ball. The certain origin of the Ashes, therefore, is the subject of some dispute. The Ashes urn remained with Bligh until his death in 1927 the urn was given to MCC by Lord Darnley’s Australian-born widow, Florence. It can be seen in the cricket museum at Lord’s, together with a red and gold velvet bag, made especially for it, and the scorecard of the 1882 match. The text on the urn is as follows:- When Ivo goes back with the urn, the urn; Studds, Steel, Read and Tylecote return, return; The welkin will ring loud, The great crowd will feel proud, Seeing Barlow and Bates with the urn, the urn; And the rest coming home with the urn. 8. Calcutta Cup 1879 Calcutta Cup is the most famous and oldest rugby trophy in the world. It has a wonderful history, beginning in the Indian sub-continent during the 1870s.

In 1878 Calcutta (Rugby) Football Club was forced to close, due to a number of factors: The lack of new blood into the club The rise in popularity of polo in the area The departure from the city of a British army regiment As a consequence, the club withdrew their remaining funds and had a silver trophy produced from 270 melted-down silver rupee coins. The value of these coins was £60. This trophy was then offered to the Rugby Football Union in England for it to be used in any way that the Union saw fit “as the best means of doing some lasting good for the cause of Rugby Football.” The cup itself is of Indian workmanship, decorated with cobras and an elephant. It is now in a fragile state after much mistreatment. 7. Wimbledon Trophy 1877 The oldest tennis trophy is Wimbledon. The world’s first official lawn tennis tournament Wimbledon held at the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club London in 1877. The Gentlemen’s single title was the only competition in the first tournament that is competed by 22 players.

The winner of the tournament was awarded with prize money of 12 guineas plus a silver challenge cup valued at 25 guineas. Spencer Gore is the first winner of Wimbledon. 6. The Scottish Cup 1873–74 The Scottish Cup is the one of the oldest football trophies. It is an annual association football knockout competition for men’s football clubs in Scotland. The competition was first held in 1873–74. It is the oldest national trophy in the world. It was first presented to Queen’s Park, who won the inaugural tournament in 1874. The current holder is St. Johnstone, who won the tournament for the first time by defeating Dundee United 2–0 in the 2014 final. 5. Claret Jug 1872 Claret Jug is one of the oldest sports trophies and is the oldest golf trophy. The Claret Jug is presented the winner of The Open Championship, one of the four major championships in golf.

The awarding of the trophy dates from 1872, when a new trophy was needed after Young Tom Morris had won the original Challenge Belt outright in 1870 by winning Championship thrice in a row. In 1871 there was no event while in 1872 when Morris fourth times won the Championship; the trophy still wasn’t ready to present him although his name was first to be engraved on it. In 1873 Tom Kidd became the first winner to be actually presented with the Claret Jug after winning the Championship. 4. Football Association (FA) Cup 1871–72 The football association cup commonly known as FA Cup is the oldest football trophy . It is an annual knockout cup completion in English football and is the oldest association football completion in the world. The history of FA Cup is extended back to 1871-72, when the first completion was held. The FA was formed there on 26 October 1863.

The captains, secretaries and other representatives of a dozen London and suburban clubs playing their own versions of football met “for the purpose of forming an Association with the object of establishing a definite code of rules for the regulation of the game”. In 1971 the idea is extended to a single knockout competition. The announcement of the birth of ‘The Football Association Challenge Cup’ ran to just 29 words: “That it is desirable that a Challenge Cup should be established in connection with the Association for which all clubs belonging to the Association should be invited to compete”. The rules of the new competition were drafted and at that time 15 clubs registered in the competition while 12 clubs actually competed for the title. Wanderers won the first title of FA Cup, beating Royal Engineers by 1-0. 3. The Americas Cup 1851 America’s Cup is one of the oldest and best-known trophies in international sailing yacht competition. It was first offered as the Hundred Guinea Cup on August 20, 1851, by the Royal Yacht Squadron of Great Britain for a race around the Isle of Wight.

It is called America’s cup because the first competition was won by the America, a 100-foot schooner from New York City. In 1857, the American winners of the cup donated it to the New York Yacht Club for a perpetual international challenge competition. In 1987 the San Diego Yacht Club took control of the U.S. competition. 2. Musselburgh Old Club Cup 1774 Musselburgh Old Club Cup is the oldest sporting trophy in the world still competed on a regular basis since 1774. It is believed that Club Cup is the oldest golf cup still competed for. Mr. Thomson McMillan of Shorthope won the 1st cup in 1774 and became Captain of the club. 1. Scorton Silver Arrow 1673 The Antient Scorton Silver Arrow is the oldest sports award in the world since it is continued from 1673. It is the World’s longest established and oldest recorded sporting event, dating back to 1673 and first shot for in Scorton Village, North Yorkshire. Twenty-two archers competed in the first event for the prize of a silver arrow.

This was won by Henry Calverley of Eryholme on Tees, who had provided the trophy. The event proved so successful that a new organization, the Society of Archers, was formed to hold the event on an annual basis. The competition has continued annually since 1673 (except in periods of various Wars) and celebrated its tri-centenary shoot in 2008. In the competition participants shoot at four-foot (122 cm) five-color face, targets at a range of 100 yards. The winner is the first person to hit the three-inch black spot at the center. The winner is appointed Captain of the Arrow. The first person to hit the red zone is appointed Lieutenant of the Arrow. The winner is presented with a replica of the original silver arrow, which he keeps for a year. The original silver arrow is held at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds.

Share this: HISTORY OF THE AMERICA'S CUP - 35th America's Cup HISTORY OF THE AMERICA'S CUP A Brief History of The America's Cup First contested in 1851, the America’s Cup is the oldest trophy in international sport, predating the modern Olympic Games by 45 years, and is yachting’s biggest prize. The trophy’s roots date back to when a syndicate of businessmen from New York sailed the schooner America across the Atlantic Ocean to represent the United States at the World’s Fair in England. The schooner won a race around the Isle of Wight and, with it, a trophy called the £100 Cup. (It was subsequently inscribed, incorrectly, as the 100 Guineas Cup.) Poster advertising the £100 Cup - an invitational race around the Isle of Wight off the South Coast of England.

The yacht America beat the best of the British fleet to win the sterling silver trophy that would become the America’s Cup (named after the yacht, not the country) After winning the trophy, the United States embarked on what would become the longest winning streak in the history of sport, a 132-year stretch of domination that saw boats representing the country successfully defend the trophy 24 times from 1870 through 1980—until 1983, when Australia II became the first successful challenger to lift the trophy. Throughout its history, the America’s Cup has bedazzled a worldwide roster of business and industry tycoons such as Oracle’s Larry Ellison, brewing and real estate mogul Alan Bond, tea merchant Sir Thomas Lipton, aviation pioneer Sir T.O.M. Sopwith, the Aga Khan, media mogul Ted Turner, and Harold S. Vanderbilt, an American railroad executive who won the America’s Cup three times and also helped author the original racing rules of sailing. The yacht America beat the best of the British fleet to win the sterling silver trophy that would become the America’s Cup (named after the yacht, not the country).

It’s also attracted larger-than-life sailing figures such as Tom Blackaller, Peter Blake, Paul Cayard, Dennis Conner, and Russell Coutts. Now, a new generation of sailing superstars have taken up the challenge, like Britain’s Ben Ainslie and Iain Percy, and Australians Jimmy Spithill, Tom Slingsby and Nathan Outteridge, along with Kiwis Dean Barker, Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, and French superstar Franck Cammas The Whole Story 1. IN THE BEGINNING In 1851 a radical looking schooner ghosted out of the afternoon mist and swiftly sailed past the Royal Yacht stationed in the Solent, between the Isle of Wight and the south coast of England, on an afternoon when Queen Victoria was watching a sailing race. As the schooner, named America, passed the Royal Yacht in first position, and saluted by dipping its ensign three times, Queen Victoria asked one of her attendants to tell her who was in second place.”Your Majesty, there is no second,” came the reply. That phrase, just four words, is still the best description of the America’s Cup, and how it represents the singular pursuit of excellence.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria congratulates John Cox Stevens, Commodore of the New York Yacht Club, aboard the yacht America, winner of the £100 Cup. That day in August, 1851, the yacht America, representing the young New York Yacht Club, would go on to beat the best the British could offer and win the Royal Yacht Squadron’s 100 Pound Cup. This was more than a simple boat race however, as it symbolised a great victory for the new world over the old, a triumph that unseated Great Britain as the world’s undisputed maritime power. The trophy would go to the young democracy of the United States and it would be well over 100 years before it was taken away from New York. Shortly after America won the 100 Guinea Cup in 1851, New York Yacht Club Commodore John Cox Stevens and the rest of his ownership syndicate sold the celebrated schooner and returned home to New York as heroes.

They donated the trophy to the New York Yacht Club under a Deed of Gift, which stated that the trophy was to be “a perpetual challenge cup for friendly competition between nations.” Thus was born the America’s Cup, named after the winning schooner America, as opposed to the country. The America’s Cup is without a doubt the most difficult trophy in sport to win. In the more than 150 years since that first race off England, only four nations have won what is often called the “oldest trophy in international sport.” For some perspective, consider that there had been nine contests for the America’s Cup before the first modern Olympic Games were held in Athens in 1896. 2. EARLY CHALLENGES The very first challenge would come from Englishman James Ashbury, who raced against a fleet from the New York Yacht Club just off Staten Island in 1870. After much dispute over the conditions for racing, Ashbury’s Cambria finished tenth in the 17-boat fleet, prompting a second challenge the following year. The 1871 America’s Cup match was a precursor for many of the legal battles that would engulf the Cup over the next 100 years.

After reportedly consulting his lawyers, Ashbury insisted on racing against just one boat, not an entire fleet and protested both the scoring of the races and the Race Committee who set the race course. In the end he limped home complaining bitterly about poor sportsmanship on the part of the Americans and insisting he had actually won the America’s Cup, to no avail. The next two Challenges came from Canada, but the northerners were no match for the Americans and were soundly beaten. 3. LIPTON ERA There were a further six challenges before the turn of the Century, including the first of what came to be called the Lipton era of the America’s Cup. Sir Thomas Lipton, the Irish/Scottish tea baron challenged five times between 1899 and 1930. He became the loveable loser; a man whose good-natured approach to the obstacles stacked against him turned him into a folk hero and promoted his business interests in America as well. © The Edwin Levick Collection, Mariners' Museum Sir Thomas Lipton. The son of a grocer, Lipton went on to be well known for his involvement in the purchase of tea plantations in Ceylon.

Lipton challenged for the America's Cup five times in succession between 1899 and 1930 with his boats "Shamrock'. While Lipton didn’t win the America’s Cup, he became one of the first to introduce the idea of sports sponsorship, and he realised a financial windfall from it. Lipton’s final challenge in 1930 was the first in the new J-Class boats. This was a period of magnificent beauty afloat, as the towering masts carrying an improbable amount of sail powered through the chop off Newport, Rhode Island. Harold Vanderbilt was selected to defend for the New York Yacht Club that year and did so with ease. 4. POST WAR The Second World War marked the end of the J-Class, and when America’s Cup racing began again in 1958, it signaled the beginning of the 12-Metre era. The Americans would successfully defend eight more times over the next 25-year period. Sadly, in 1939, all but three of the original ten J’s were used as scrap metal for the war effort. The three surviving J-Class yachts have been restored and still sail in regattas around the world. 5.

CHALLENGER SERIES In 1970, more than one yacht club interested in challenging for the America’s Cup, so for the first time, a competition was staged to determine the single Challenger that would face the Defender, the New York Yacht Club. The French malletier Louis Vuitton became involved with the America’s Cup in 1983, supporting the Challenger Selection Series that came to be known as the Louis Vuitton Cup. The idea was twofold; to develop and identify the strongest possible challenger for the America’s Cup and ensure that they were sufficiently battle-tested through tough competition to beat the Defender. The defenders had been involved in this type of selection series for most of the century, but until recently, there had been but one Challenger. 6. THE CUP LEAVES AMERICA Australia was one of the challenging countries in 1983, and the ‘Men from Down Under’ brought a secret weapon. Australia II sported a boxing Kangaroo flag in the rigging as she was towed out to sea, and under the water, a radically-designed winged keel that gave the 12-Metre Class boat superior speed under most conditions.

The Australians kept the secret to themselves, draping large ‘modesty skirts’ from the deck to the ground when the boat was hauled from the water – keeping prying eyes away and all the time building speculation as to what could be under there. Dennis Conner, ‘Mr. America’s Cup’, was charged with defending against the upstart Australians, who handily whipped through the challenger fleet and carried off the first Louis Vuitton Cup. That summer, in 1983, the America’s Cup had pride of place on every newscast, and front-page status in every paper. There was a sense of history about that season; that somehow, finally, the New York Yacht Club’s 132-year winning streak was going to come to an end. Equipment problems on the Australian boat allowed Conner to jump ahead early in the best of seven series, but Australian skipper John Bertrand battled back, eventually bringing the series to a score line of 3-3. The seventh and final race was symbolic of the entire series, with Conner’s Liberty leading for most of the course in a light and shifty breeze.

It was not until the final spinnaker run that Australia II was able to jump into the lead, and then hold on to it despite a ferocious, last-gasp assault over the last few minutes. For the first time in 132 years, the America’s Cup was leaving the New York Yacht Club. Dennis Conner, also known as Mr. America’s Cup. Conner won the America’s Cup in 1980, 1987, and 1988, but is perhaps best known as the first American skipper to lose the Cup, in 1983, to Australia. Conner, then representing the San Diego Yacht Club, won the right to fight another day in 1987. Held in Fremantle, he won the Louis Vuitton Cup to become the Challenger and then delivered a shut-out victory of 4-0. This America’s Cup featured quite an on-the-water show, with the famous “Fremantle Doctor,” strong afternoon sea-breezes, blowing up incredible sailing conditions with giant white-capped seas, to challenge both the sailors and equipment. 7.

BACK TO AMERICA Dennis Conner, basking in presidential welcomes and ticker-tape parades through New York, was in no rush to settle the details of the next event, and New Zealand, exploiting a loophole in the century old Deed of Gift, demanded an immediate challenge in 1988. What resulted was the first America’s Cup Finals where two different styles of boat raced each other, with the Kiwis in a giant 90-foot waterline boat against Conner in a much smaller but faster hard-winged catamaran. The best of three series went to the Americans and after numerous court challenges – the teams spent far more time battling in a courtroom than they did on the water – the result stood. 8. AMERICA’S CUP CLASS A good thing to come of the entire 1988 fiasco was a new class of boat that featured a more modern design that could perform well in the lighter winds of San Diego; the America’s Cup Class, a type of boat built to a design rule. Under the rule, all boats must look similar, although the designers had enough leeway to make an impact on boat speed. Progress is always made from one generation to the next.

In 1992, two American teams sought the right to defend the United States through a Defender series, where Dennis Conner was beaten and lost the right to defend to American billionaire Bill Koch with his massive, four-boat America programme. On the challenger side, New Zealand met the Italian Il Moro de Venezia Challenge, eventually yielding to relentless pressure from the Italians and their skipper Paul Cayard. In the concluding battle for the 29th America’s Cup, Koch, occasionally steering the boat himself, and his skipper Buddy Melges, successfully defended the America’s Cup. 9. THE KIWIS 1995 would be the year of the Kiwi. Led by the fierce determination of Sir Peter Blake and with the steady hand of Russell Coutts on the wheel, New Zealand’s Black Magic dominated the challengers in San Diego, and went on to make short work of the Dennis Conner / Paul Cayard defense partnership, taking the America’s Cup back to the Southern Hemisphere. Sir Peter Blake’s crew declared there would be no defender selection series, and Team New Zealand focused on in-house training, taking advantage of a deep pool of young talent to push Coutts to the limit in training.

At the same time, the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000 featured what has been described as perhaps the best two weeks of racing in the history of the America’s Cup. Italy’s Prada Challenge outlasted Paul Cayard’s AmericaOne, winning the best of nine series 5-4. Not only was the series close, but many of the races were sailed with the boats just metres apart, the lead changing hands over and over again. But Prada’s Luna Rossa, although battle-hardened, was no match for Team New Zealand. Skipper Russell Coutts staked the Kiwis to a quick 4-0 lead – equaling the record for most consecutive America’s Cup wins set by Charlie Barr 100 years earlier – before handing the wheel to understudy Dean Barker who promptly became the youngest skipper at 26-years old to win the America’s Cup. Team New Zealand looked to be so far ahead of the challengers that the America’s Cup appeared to be secure in the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron for a long time to come.

But shortly after the win, Russell Coutts and many of his Team New Zealand stalwarts announced they were leaving to join a new team that had to be built from the ground up for Swiss Bio-Tech entrepreneur Ernesto Bertarelli. Within months, in a scene reminiscent of an earlier era, many of the world’s most successful men announced they were coming to stake their claim on the Cup. Backed by Patrizio Bertelli of the Prada fashion house, the Italians would be back, as would three strong American challenges, including teams backed by Oracle software guru Larry Ellison, and a Pacific Northwest team led by Craig McCaw and Paul Allen. Joining them were teams from France, Italy, Sweden, and for the first time in 16 years, Great Britain, making another run at regaining that which they lost 151 years earlier. © Moet & Chandon/Franck Socha Russell Coutts and Dean Barker celebrate winning the America’s Cup in February 2000 with Team New Zealand. Coutts, the skipper, steered the team to a 4-0 lead before handing the helm to his understudy, Barker, for the final, deciding race.

After four months of Round Robin and elimination rounds, the Louis Vuitton Cup Challenger Series came down to a nine-race Final between Ernesto Bertarelli’s Team Alinghi and Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing team. Both teams arrived at the Finals with impressive records in the previous rounds, and the racing showed these two teams were evenly matched. Although the record was a 5-1 series win for Alinghi, the numbers belied how close the racing actually was. The battle to the win the Louis Vuitton Cup created a very strong Challenger, and set up a much-anticipated America’s Cup Match between Coutts and his old Team New Zealand understudy Dean Barker. Unfortunately for the Kiwis, Team New Zealand appeared ill prepared, and was no match for Alinghi. Serious equipment problems and some poor race tactics allowed Alinghi to sweep the Match 5-0, and take the America’s Cup to Europe for the first time. 10. TO EUROPE Shortly after winning the America’s Cup, the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) accepted a challenge from the Golden Gate Yacht Club, putting the wheels in motion for the 32nd America’s Cup.

A new Protocol was issued, detailing the plans for the next event and outlining some of the changes. It was immediately clear that the move to Europe would mean a sea change for the America’s Cup. Taking advantage of what some perceived to be a problem for the new Defender, the SNG announced that it would take its time to decide upon a venue, drafting up a selection criteria that would ensure reliable sailing conditions. The nationality rules were abolished, freeing up teams to sign the best people regardless of their passport, and rules on the transfer of technology from prior syndicates were eased to enable new teams access to old information. Most importantly, a new organising authority, AC Management, was created and charged with the task of overseeing all aspects of the 32nd America’s Cup including the Challenger Selection Series. In short, a new era of the America’s Cup had dawned. The 32nd America’s Cup in Valencia, Spain was a success on many levels. By bidding out the city, the organising authority was able to raise revenue on a scale previously unimagined. A four-year programme of racing took America’s Cup racing to other European venues, drumming up interest in the event.

And teams from new territories, like South Africa and China, added to the international flavour of the racing. Emirates Team New Zealand, rejuvenated behind the leadership of Grant Dalton, won the Louis Vuitton Cup to set up a rematch against Alinghi. But although the Kiwis won a couple of races and lost another by just one second, the Swiss Defender proved to be too strong and retained the title. 11. MULTIHULL BATTLE Shortly after successfully defending the Cup, SNG announced it had accepted a challenge from a newly formed yacht club, the Spanish CNEV, and released a Protocol for the 33rd America’s Cup. Many in the America’s Cup community balked at the terms in the Protocol and BMW ORACLE Racing, with Larry Ellison leading the charge, challenged the validity of the new Spanish club. The courts agreed and GGYC became the challenger of record. When GGYC and SNG were unable to mutually consent on a new Protocol, the 33rd America’s Cup became a ‘Deed of Gift’ Match, as in 1988. There were numerous court challenges, initiated by both sides.

In the end, both teams having learned the lesson of 1988, built enormous multihulls. Then, just months before the race, BMW ORACLE Racing replaced its soft sail rig with a towering wing sail – the largest wing ever built. When the boats finally lined up to race off Valencia in February 2010, the BMW ORACLE Racing trimaran with its powerful wing sail proved to be superior. Skipper James Spithill, just 30 years old, won with a record of 2-0. Once again, the America’s Cup would be defended by an American Team in the 34th edition. 12. THE COMEBACK The speed, the thrill and the challenge of building multihulls proved irresistible and ORACLE TEAM USA elected to make the AC72, a catamaran powered by a towering wingsail, the class for the 34th America’s Cup. The venue would be the iconic San Francisco Bay, where late summer winds were predictable and strong. Emirates Team New Zealand was among three challengers (along with Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa Challenge) lined up to battle ORACLE TEAM USA.

The Kiwis found enough wiggle room in the design rule to get the AC72 up and out of the water, foiling, and soon all the teams were flying above the water at speeds over 40 knots. The boats were without risk however, and ORACLE TEAM USA capsized during training on San Francisco Bay, all but destroying one of their boats and setting their program back by months. More tragically, Artemis Racing also had a training accident and crew member Andrew ‘Bart’ Simpson perished when he became trapped under the capsized boat. His memory lives on through the Andrew Simpson Sailing Foundation, a charity devoted to youth sailing projects. With new safety regulations developed following the accident, racing started in the challenger series, where Team New Zealand made short work of Artemis Racing and Luna Rossa Challenge. The Kiwis then jumped out to an impressive lead in the America’s Cup Match over ORACLE TEAM USA, who couldn’t match the New Zealander’s upwind speed. After making a critical crew change, bringing on Ben Ainslie for John Kostecki, and making continual modifications to their boat and sailing techniques, the Americans were getting faster, but were running out of time.

Team New Zealand reached match point, building an 8-1 lead. But improbably, ORACLE TEAM USA turned the tide and began to win races. The gap narrowed and then disappeared. Now it was ORACLE TEAM USA who were faster and the score was tied, 8-8. There would be one last race; the winner would claim the Cup. The final race was a microcosm of the match itself. Emirates Team New Zealand had an early lead, but couldn’t fend off the superior speed of the American boat. ORACLE TEAM USA sailed into history, completing the greatest comeback in sport, taking the closest match in America’s Cup history, 9-8. © Abner Kingman Carlisle Bells | Border - ITV News Carlisle Bells And they're off! Celebrated Cumbrian race meeting gets underway The biggest and most valuable day of racing in Carlisle's calendar takes place this afternoon. Nearly £100,000 is up for grabs as well what is believed to be the oldest sporting trophy in the world.

The Carlisle Bell was run in 1599 and is still contested over a mile long course to this day, though the original bells that were presented to the early winners are now on permanent display in the city's Guildhall museum. It is followed by another historic race in the Cumberland Plate, once won by Lester Piggott. Despite being held in the working week Bell and Plate Day is usually one of the best supported days at Carlisle racecourse with thousands of spectators turning out every year. The early favourite to win the feature race this year is 'Border Bandit'. Crowds gather to watch the first race Credit: ITV News Border Several thousand people have turned out to watch the famous Carlisle Bells racing. The annual event claims to be the oldest sporting trophy in the world. Crowds watching the action Credit: ITV News Border Carlisle Racecourse's general manager, Richard Clements, said: Yachting's America's Cup claims to be the oldest active trophy in international sport dating back to 1851 but it is just a baby compared to the Carlisle Bells. "The older of the two bells is from the 1580s and we will have international challengers competing for it again here on Wednesday.

"We are incredibly proud of the Carlisle Bell history and tradition, which pre-dates everything in racing and any other sport. "There have been some tremendous winners and we are again looking forward to a great afternoon's racing again on what is our richest and most prestigious Flat meeting of the year." Race goers queuing to place bets Credit: ITV News Border 35th America's Cup // Go To Bermuda Travel Trade 35th America's Cup In June 2017, the best sailors in the world will convene in Bermuda for the 35th America's Cup, presented by Louis Vuitton. The pinnacle of international sailing, the America’s Cup has generated intense excitement––and fierce rivalries––for more than 160 years. Now, for the first time, this premier event will take place in Bermuda, an island founded on a legacy of sailing. The drama will unfold in Bermuda’s Great Sound, a magnificent natural amphitheater set amid a spectacular backdrop of islands and beaches. With a new Louis Vuitton America's Cup village to be built in the South Basin of the Royal Naval Dockyard, the Island will offer an unmatched experience for sailing teams and spectators from around the world.

35th America's Cup Highlights Sir Thomas Lipton and the oldest trophy in international sport 'The America's Cup' - YouTube Sir Thomas Lipton and the oldest trophy in international sport 'The America's Cup' Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Jan 31, 2016 No sound; King Edward VII and King George V both shared their interest in yachting with Lipton and enjoyed his company. Between 1899 and 1930 he challenged the American holders of the America's Cup through the Royal Ulster Yacht Club five times with his yachts called Shamrock through Shamrock V.[6] His well-publicised efforts to win the cup, which earned him a specially designed cup for "the best of all losers", made his tea famous in the United States. Lipton, a self-made man, was no natural member of the British upper class and the Royal Yacht Squadron only admitted him shortly before his death.

Lipton was inducted into the America's Cup Hall of Fame in 1993. Before the first Football World Cup was held in 1930, Thomas Lipton donated the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy which was contested in two international tournaments in Turin in 1909 and 1911. In 1914 he presented the silver Sir Thomas Lipton Cup to his friend Con Riley of Winnipeg as a means of promoting the sport of rowing in the central portions of Canada and the United States.[7] Since then the rowing clubs of the Northwestern International Rowing Association (NWIRA) have fiercely battled each year for the honor of having their names engraved upon the Lipton Cup. He also donated the Copa Lipton trophy which has been contested between Argentina and Uruguay since 1905. Category Chris Murray's Sunday List: The 10 best trophies in sports Chris Murray's Sunday List: The 10 best trophies in sports Where do the Stanley Cup, Green Jacket and Olympic Gold stack up? Post to Facebook Chris Murray's Sunday List: The 10 best trophies in sports Where do the Stanley Cup, Green Jacket and Olympic Gold stack up?

Check out this story on rgj.com: CancelSend A link has been sent to your friend's email address. Posted! A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. 1 Chris Murray's Sunday List: The 10 best trophies in sports RGJ Published 9:56 a.m. PT April 11, 2014 | Updated 10:08 a.m. PT April 11, 2014 Every Sunday, RGJ columnist Chris Murray will count down a top-10 list (and post it online Friday). This week's list counts down the 10 best "trophies" in sports (because somebody's getting a green jacket Sunday for a Masters victory). 1. Stanley Cup (NHL): First awarded in 1892, the Stanley Cup is North America's oldest championship trophy. The trophy, which includes the name of all the players on Cup-winning teams, has swum in pools, been used as a beer mug, been into a live combat zone in Afghanistan and experienced many more adventures as every player on the winning team gets one day with the beloved trophy. 2.

Heisman Trophy (college football): The 25-pound bronze trophy was first awarded in 1935 and remains the coolest individual trophy in sports. The design (the stiff-arm pose) is outstanding and only 76 players own a Heisman, making it one of the rarest trophies to attain in the history of sports. 3. Olympic Gold (Olympics): There's almost nothing better than winning an Olympic gold. It signifies that you're the best in the world in your sport, which is a powerful message. It's also cool that the designs change every year to tell a story from the host country. And for those not-so-humble Olympic gold medalists, you can just wear it around town if you like to show off just how cool you are. 4. Green Jacket (Masters): Green isn't my color. I like blue. But I'd wear the green jacket, the most coveted piece of wardrobe in golf. Here's the bummer: The jacket, first awarded in 1949, is only allowed to be removed from Augusta National by the reigning champion and must be returned one year later. 5.

Heavyweight Championship Belt (boxing): Boxing doesn't have the same cache it used to, but there's something powerful about having a belt that proves you can beat up everybody else in the world if push came to shove. Just think of all the legends who have owned this belt over the years. 6. Borg-Warner Trophy (Indianapolis 500): This trophy stands out for two reasons: It stands 5-foot-4, making it one of the largest trophies ever, and it costs about $1.3 million. Another reason it's unique: The face of every race winner is added to the trophy in gold in a checkerboard pattern. 7. Yellow Jersey (Tour de France): Since 1919, the leader of the Tour de France has donned the yellow jersey, the second-most valuable piece of wardrobe in sports behind that green jacket. The only downside? Most of the cyclists who have donned the yellow jersey, at least recently, have been dopers. 8. Wimbledon Women's Trophy (tennis): A lot of trophies look similar, which makes the women's Wimbledon trophy so different. It's a sterling silver plate, decorated with figures from mythology.

The men's trophy isn't bad, either, but a pineapple sits atop (pineapples used to indicate a lofty social status). 9. FIFA World Cup Trophy (soccer): The most coveted trophy in the world? It could be this one since soccer is a global sport. The current World Cup trophy, introduced in 1974, is made of 18-karat gold and depicts two human figures holding up Earth. If only it was a little bigger (it's just 14 inches tall). 10. Commissioner's Trophy (MLB): We could go with the Lombardi Trophy (NFL) or Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy (NBA), but those are just bases with the sport's ball atop. Kind of boring. At least baseball spices it up a little with 30 gold-plated flags, one for each team, surrounding a silver baseball. Next five: 11. The America's Cup Trophy (sailing); 12. Lombardi Trophy (NFL); 13. Claret Jug (British Open); 14. Larry Championship O'Brien Trophy (NBA); 15. BCS Championship Trophy (college football).

Question: What is the oldest trophy in international sport?
Answer: The Americas Cup