A polo handicap is a passport to the world» Winston ... - Audi Gold Cup

SNOW POLO«A polo handicap is a passport to the world» Winston ChurchillText : Alexandre MollardPhotographs : all rights reservedSt Moritz© polostmoritzmedia20

poloOriginating on the plains of central Asia, betweenChina and Mongolia, Polo was initiallyan activity for warriors; an equestrian martialart reserved for the best riders, princes andkings. This method of training elite troopsdeveloped into a form of pageantry and latera sporting discipline. The game seducedthe British colonists of the 19th centuryand was then exported to the West wherethe first events appeared. The sport becamemore structured with the formation of thefirst clubs and increasingly formalised withthe appearance of associations and federations.Fast forward to the 20 th century andPolo has become an international – at onestage even Olympic – sport. The sport continuesto exemplify excellence and elegance,and every match is a performance in whichemotion, adrenaline and thrills are guaranteedand fairplay rules above all!St Moritz© polostmoritzmediaPeter Kaspa. An International tournament washeld each summer between 1960 and 1964, andthe first team was formed by Reto G. Gaudenziin 1978. The Polo Club was restructured underthe leadership of President Christian Mathis in1983 and the Swiss Polo Association was foundedwith an entirely Swiss team that competedat their first international events in Spain andthen England. Reto G. Gaudenzi and GianniBerry attempted to play Polo on the frozen lakeof Saint-Moritz and dreamt of transforming itinto a unique field, and thus the sport of SnowPolo was created.St MoritzAppearing some 2500 years ago in central Asia,Polo is considered by historians as the oldestteam sport and one of the earliest bat and ballsports in the world. The practice of Snow Polo,on the other hand, is considerably more recentand its success is even greater with the sportbeing played in: Switzerland, Italy, France,Austria, Argentina and the United States. In amove that marks a return to the origins of thesport, or perhaps more the effect of globalisation,Snow Polo is now being exported toChina. A genuine equestrian spectacle, eachtournament celebrates the beauty of movement,the skill and precision of the riders andthe power and passion of the Argentine Criollohorses. Every match is a unique, authentic, andexceptional show. Each period – called a chukka– is held in winter conditions that challenge the© © polostmoritzmediariders and their mounts. From its invention inSaint-Moritz in 1985 to the inauguration of theAlpine Polo Club in Klosters in 2005, the story ofSnow Polo is a beautiful adventure that beginsand ends in Switzerland.From St- Moritz…Famous for its avant-garde spirit which continuestoday, in the 19th century Saint-Moritzwas one of the first European destinations tobecome interested in a sport that was still consideredexotic. At the time, Polo was practisedonly by British cavalry officers and was seenmore as military training than a sporting activity.In 1899, the first Polo field was built in theresort and in 1959 the Polo Club was created underthe chairmanship of Doctor P.R Berry andrun by founding members Andrea Badrutt andOn the 26th and 27th of January 1985, the St-Moritz Polo Club inaugurated the first CartierPolo World Cup on Snow. A unique white arenaon the St Moritz lake hosted this ancient gamein what was a fairy-tale-like atmosphere. Theevent was a spectacular success and the cornerstonefor a new highlight in the St. Moritzevents calendar had been laid. The tournamentattracted an international audience and in2004, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of theevent, the British Household Cavalry was invitedto perform its famous musical ride on icefor the first time. Inscribed in the calendar ofthe Fédération Internationale de Polo, this prestigiousevent welcomes the best riders in theworld, such as Pablo Mac Donough. Accordingto Bernhard Pöllinger, an executive memberof the St. Moritz Polo Club, the longevity andsuccess of the event can be attributed to «theunique Alpine setting, elegance and cosmopolitannature of the resort, the combination of an excitinggame with teams at the highest level […] andthe excellent organisation that makes this eventso spectacular, allowing riders and their mountsto show off their full potential». By organising aCoupe des Nations in January 2011, where particularimportance will be given to the nation-n. 47 st. moritz

poloality of the team Captains, the organisers havedemonstrated their willingness to innovate bychanging the format of a competition that hasbecome a benchmark in the sport. This successhas also been a source of inspiration for numerousPolo promoters who now wish to see theirsport of choice played on the snow of the mostbeautiful winter resorts.© andyparant.com… to the most beautiful destinationsin the Alpes !In 1989, three friends from Rome who shared acommon passion for Polo decided to join forceswith the owner of a historic hotel in the famousItalian resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo andcreate a Polo tournament. Inspired by Saint-Moritz, the tournament’s first matches were tobe held on the frozen Lake Landro. Now heldevery February on Lake Misurina (at 1800 metres),The Cortina Winter Polo Gold Cup has becomeone of the most prestigious tournamentsin the world. Together with Saint-Moritz andChapelco, in Argentina, the tournament formspart of the World Polo Tour on Snow, and withVal d’isère© P. RenauldonMegève22

Rome and Forte dei Marmi it forms part ofthe Polo Gold Cup presided over by the duo ofMaurizio Zuliani and Claudio Giorgiutti.In January 1996, Jean-Yves Delfosse organisedthe first International Snow Polo Trophy inMegève; the resort was the first in the FrenchAlps to hold such a competition. By offering awhite version of the Polo Masters, originally heldin the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, Delfosse wanted tocreate something new and combine his passionfor snow sports with a winter version of Polo,which had a growing fan base in France. Herefined the format for the event by planning anumber of women’s and children’s matches andin January 2009, he decided to extend the eventto Val d’Isère with the help of Philippe Fatienand eventually to Courchevel in 2011. Now awinter circuit, The Polo Masters Tour has becomean increasingly important event for professionalPolo players. According to one of France’s bestplayers and three time Megève winner - BrieuxRigaux, the fitness of the horses and riders ismore important on snow where the tactical skillof blocking one’s opponent is more challenging.© Lifestyle Event GmbhKitzbüheltenth event, Frank Bahrenburg recalled thatthe organisation had frequently had to adaptto capricious weather such as in January 2007when spring-like temperatures and the lackof snow necessitated the use of sawdust, aptlynicknamed «tree snow», to create a snowlikepitch and ensure that the public wereentertained.In 2005, the founder of the Alpine Polo Club,Daniel Waechter, inaugurated the KlostersSnow Polo. The event was intended to be festive,glamorous and in his own words “so chic!so British!”. With concerts, a charity dinnerand a nightclub in mind, Waechter wantedto create a highly entertaining, exceptionalevent. It was to be a unique show that wouldattract players from around the world, withnumerous matches played at night in a magicalatmosphere. And magical is precisely whatSnow Polo is. More than a sport, it’s an adventurethat comes with plenty of doubts, risks,pleasure and excitement… an adventure thatcan only be lived at full-throttle!St MoritzThe success of each subsequent eventgrew and eventually Kitzbühel – with itsreputation as a sports resort – proposed itsown Snow Polo event. In 2003, Reto MarioGaudenzi and Frank Bahrenburg organisedthe first Snow Polo World Cup in the AustrianTyrol which has since become a prestigiousevent with teams composed of the best internationalriders from Argentina, the UnitedStates, Great Britain, Switzerland, Hollandand Germany. In January 2012, during the© polostmoritzmedia2013 Calendar16 / 19 JanuaryVal d’Isère Polo Masters16 / 20 JanuaryKlosters Snow Polo17 / 20 JanuarySnow Polo World Cup Kitzbühel24 / 27 JanuaryMegève Polo Masters24 / 27 JanuarySt Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow31 January / 3 FebruaryCourchevel Polo Masters17 / 23 FebruaryCortina Winter Polon. 47 st. moritz