Deauville, land of polo! Since the middle of the last century, it has been an immutable tradition to cross the track of the Deauville – La Touques racecourse to attend high-level polo games during August. An event that combines both glamour and sport: the Deauville Int. Polo Cup will welcome some of the world‘s best players from August 6 to 28 for the Barrière Deauville Polo Cup 2022.
This year’s Barrière Deauville Polo Cup offers four tournaments, including the 71st edition of the mythical Gold Cup, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world, the most disputed French competition that has seen all the outstanding players of this sport participate in. Legendary players who have played or won the mythical Argentine Open (el Abierto de Palermo), the ultimate tournament that every player dreams of winning and that takes place in a specially dedicated stadium in the heart of Buenos Aires in front of an audience of 18,000 spectators. A victory in the Gold Cup in Deauville is also an important reference in the record of these great champions (from August 15 to 28).
This year‘s Golden Cup winning team 2021, Los Dragones, will include young French hopeful Sam Sztarkmann (left) and Argentinean h5 Jota Chavanne (second from right). © Pascal Renauldon / R&B Presse
This year, these champions are called Diego Cavanagh (Brittany Polo), a handicap 9 who was seen last year in the great team of La Dolfina alongside Adolfo Cambiaso ; Rufino Bensadon (h7), who has grown up since his first international steps in Deauville and who competed in the Abierto in the colors of Chapaleufu II and who will play this year in Deauville in the grey and pink jersey of Talandracas alongside Juan-Martin Zubia (h8), who was in Palermo with La Ensenada. The new French team Tedelou relies on the Zavaleta family, brothers Simon and Ramiro and their cousin Juan-Gris (h8) who, in Palermo last December, also played for Chapaleufu II. Los Dragones, the title holders, will once again rely on Jota Chavanne (h5) as well as new team member Rodrigo Andrade (h8), who played the Abierto 2021 for La Dolfina Brava with Poroto Cambiaso. As for Mungo, Patrick Eisensteter renews his confidence in Pierre-Henri Ngoumou, the French handicap 6, and in the Argentine Tete Storni (h5), who won the title of Argentine Pato Champion (the original version of horse-ball) also in Palermo!
In addition to the much sought-after Gold Cup, the Barrière Deauville Polo Cup is organizing three other tournaments during the month of August: the Silver Cup (from 6 to 14 August), the Ladies Cup (from 10 to 13 August) and the Bronze Cup, which plays at a lower level, but is also highly coveted (from 15 to 27 August)! In short, a full program offering one to three daily games.
Ramiro Zavaleta (left) under the Barrière colours, will return this year to defend the jersey of a new French team, Tedelou, alongside his brother, Simon and his cousin, the h7 Juan-Gris, as well as the captain Isabelle Larenaudie. He will of course find Hugues Carmignac (right) in front of him. © Pascal Renauldon / R&B Presse
The Deauville International Polo Club loves the public and is a space open to all. Thus, access to the games is entirely free during the week. Only the finals and the weekend games are subject to a fee. Spectators are welcomed in a friendly village where it is possible to linger after the games, have a drink or do a little shopping in the stalls and even meet the players who are always accessible and eager to share their passion for their sport.
And to attract its public, polo knows how to get out of its confines and into the streets with the traditional parades through town on the eve of the finals, beach polo sessions at low tide or adorable demonstration games of kids-polo, where children on their ponies show their skills just before the finals.
Hence great sport but also an immersion into a welcoming milieu: when you stay in Deauville or in its marvelous surroundings of the Pays d‘Auge, a day at polo is a must and above all, a great moment of joy!
