The global recession has taken a toll on this year’s Argo Group Gold Cup, which could be scaled back due to a lower than anticipated turn-out.Some of the teams invited to compete in the Alpari World Match Racing Tour sanctioned event have declined because of the considerable costs to do so that has been made all the more challenging in the current economic climate.This in turn has forced race officials to consider revising the format to accommodate a smaller fleet.“The reasons why some of the skippers aren’t coming is more economic driven this year,” race chairman Brian Billings told The Royal Gazette. “Just like the rest of the world they are suffering too.”Past Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (RBYC) commodore Billings said a number of other top sailors, such as previous Gold Cup winner and multiple Olympic gold medallist Ben Ainslie, have been ruled out because of their commitment to the next America’s Cup campaign.“The America’s Cup has now turned into a full-time job for some of the these guys,” he added.Earlier this week past ISAF women’s world match racing champion Lucy MacGregor declined an invitiation due to lack of crew.“Lucy was an invite who was on hold but she couldn’t get enough of her crew to be able to commit to it so she dropped out this week,” Billings said.When asked to comment on a proposed revised format for this year’s event, Billings held his cards close to his chest.“We’re working on the format but we haven’t made a final decision yet so I don’t want to release anything,” he said. “There’s a proposal put forth which we are looking at which we think we’ve pretty much accepted . . . that we are going to change the format.”It is understood that the proposed format could see teams in two groups compete in a round-robin with the eventual top four from each group automatically advancing to the quarter-finals.In recent years the Argo Group Gold Cup format has seen teams in three groups compete in a round-robin with the top two from each group automatically advancing to the quarter- finals. The third and fourth teams from each group would then compete in a round-robin repechage with the top two completing the eight quarter-finalists.Despite the decline in numbers, Billings said this year’ Gold Cup would still showcase some of the best match racing skippers in the world.“The Tour (Alpari World Match Racing Tour) Card Holders will be here and other skippers,” he said. “Nine of the top 20 sailors will be here and we’ve got other big names like Adam Minoprio (past Gold Cup winner) who has been a big gun before.”Carrying local hopes in this year’s event are Blythe Walker and Lance Fraser.Australian Torvar Mirsky won last year’s event after beating Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson in the best-of-five final.This year’s Gold Cup, stage seven of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, will be held from October 2-7 and contested in the International One Design (IOD) classic racing sloop.Royal Bermuda Yacht Club are the host for the match racing spectacle with racing to be held in Hamilton Harbour.