N.Y. JUDGE GIVES AMERICA'S CUP TO NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand has won in court what it didn't win at sea - sailing's coveted America's Cup. But the San Diego Yacht Club hasn't decided whether it will relinquish the sport's oldest trophy without an appeal. New York Supreme Court Judge Carmen Ciparick said Tuesday the San Diego Yacht Club showed poor sportsmanship and violated the spirit of the rules that govern America's Cup competition by using a catamaran to defend the cup against New Zealand's huge sloop, with its single hull.

The race last September occurred after preliminary legal hearings in which Ciparick ruled that the two sides should race first and seek judicial action later over the issue of boat design.