Swiss Government congratulates Team Alinghi

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.

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