Government has vowed to spread the benefits of the America’s Cup throughout the community as it begins to prepare for one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

The pledge comes as Minister of Economic Development, Dr Grant Gibbons, asked for the public’s patience as Government works to put all the “organisational elements in place”.

“It is this Government’s intention that the benefits of the America’s Cup be spread widely throughout the community,” said Dr Gibbons.

He added: “The public should be aware that we are currently transitioning from a bid team structure to a more focused administrative organisation — the ACBDA — that will work closely with the America’s Cup Event Authority (ACEA) to facilitate not only the enquiries we are receiving, but also the administration and oversight of Bermuda’s obligations as the host venue.

“The ACBDA will effectively serve as a conduit between Bermuda and those charged with the responsibility of delivering the various events.

“We anticipate this process will take another few weeks to complete and in this regard, we encourage the public’s patience as we work to put all the organisational elements in place.”

Dr Gibbons said Government was pleased to see the excitement and enthusiasm generated by the decision to name Bermuda as the host of the 2017 America’s Cup.

He promised to update the public on how they could take advantage of potential opportunities arising from the America’s Cup, once protocols and operational elements were in place.

“We are also aware that many Bermudians and local companies are keen to find out as much as possible regarding how they can become involved in the America’s Cup events,” said Dr Gibbons.

“We are hoping that in the early part of the New Year we will have our protocols and operational elements in place. Once this is complete, it is my intent to update the public accordingly. In the meantime, anyone interested in submitting enquiries or seeking information can either e-mail info@americascup.bm or visit www.americascup.bm.

“We will log all enquiries and do our best to respond to them before the ACBDA is fully up and running.”