America's Cup

America's Cup, international yachting trophy. The cup, the oldest trophy in international sports, was held continuously by the United States from the first race in 1851 until 1983, when the Australian II defeated the U.S. yacht Liberty. The U.S. yacht Stars &. Stripes defeated Australia's Kookaburra in 1987 to regain the cup. In 1988 controversy surrounded the U.S. use of a 60-ft (20-m) catamaran, Stars & Stripes, which defeated the challenger, the 133-ft (44.4-m) monohull New Zealand. New Zealand's team claimed the catamaran was illegal, but after several U.S. court rulings Stars & Stripes was awarded the cup. To avoid future controversy, all competitors will use 75-ft (25-m) monohulls with a 110-ft (36.6-m) mast in the May 1992 America's Cup competition.