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Dubai Wolves by CAFU Beats UAE Polo at the Bentley Emirates Silver Cup 2022 Qualifiers

28. January 2022

25 January 2022, Dubai, UAE: The pack came back strong from its defeat last week and served an exciting finish on the third day of the tournament.

Alfredo Cappella scored the first goal for the Dubai Wolves by CAFU which set the pace of the game – fast with a flurry of goals coming in from both teams. UAE Polo had the lead from the first chukker which, they kept until the end of the second chukker courtesy of goals from Tommy Beresford and Lucas Monteverde Jr. The third chukker saw the pack take control of the game as they gained a 2-goal advantage. Monteverde delivered back to back goals tying the game at 8 goals midway through the penultimate chukker.

However, the shot from Carlos Ulloa and the last-second goal from Cappella kept the Wolves ahead of the game. The UAE Polo team gave the team a run for their money as they tied the game at 11 goals with a few seconds left at the last chukker. At the last throw-in, Dubai Wolves by CAFU snatched the win with the exemplary tandem play by its Patron, Habtoor Al Habtoor and Ulloa, closing the game at 12 goals to 11.

Match Progression: 2 – 3 | 5 – 6 | 8 – 6 | 10 – 8 | 12 – 1
Top Scorer: Tommy Beresford, 6 goals

The next round of the Bentley Emirates Silver Cup qualifiers is on the 27th of January on Field 3.

14:00
Zedan Polo vs.
AM Polo

16:00
Bangash Dodson & Horrell Polo vs.
Clinova-Scone Polo

Photos by Khalil Ahli

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25 January 2022, Dubai, UAE: The pack came back strong from its defeat last week and served an exciting finish on the third day of the tournament. Alfredo Cappella scored…

Asia, Polo News

AM Polo and Zedan Polo Teams Claim Victory at the Qualifiers of the Bentley Emirates Silver Cup 2022

25. January 2022

24 January 2022, Dubai, UAE: The second day of the tournament opened with a goal from Pablo Urquiza for AM Polo team and had Benjamin Panelo closing the first chukker with a .5 goal lead in favour of Bangash Dodson & Horrell Polo. Benjamin Urquiza delivered three back to back goals that shifted the lead to AM Polo‘s side during the next chukker. Bangash Polo snatched the lead back by halftime as Panelo‘s long pass to Federico von Potobsky ended the third chukker at 6.5 goals to 6. However, the last two chukkers saw AM Polo take off with subsequent penalty shots from Benjamin Urquiza that sealed the with for AM Polo at 10 goals to 6.5.

Match Progression: 1 – 1.5 | 4 – 3.5 | 6 – 6.5 | 9 – 6.5 | 10 – 6.5
Top Scorer: Benjamin Urquiza, 9 goals

Clinova-Scone Polo team officially debuted in UAE‘s high-goal polo scene as it went head to head with the renowned Zedan Polo team at the second match. The first chukker ended with a 1 goal lead for Zedan having 2 goals from Gonzalo Ferrari. The next chukker saw both patrons – Raja Karim for Clinova-Scone and Amr Zedan – score a goal each. Facundo Llorente managed to tie the game midway through the third chukker but, Ferrari defended Zedan Polo‘s lead until halftime. The penultimate had a promising start with Karim tying the game at 4 goals, only to be met by 3 goal shots from the opposing team.

Zedan kept a 2 goal lead from the penultimate chukker until the end of the buzzer and closed the game at 8 goals to 6.

Match Progression: 2 – 1 | 3 – 2 | 4 – 3 | 7 – 5 | 8 – 6
Top Scorer: Gonzalo Ferrari, 6 goals

The Bentley Emirates Silver Cup 2022 will continue with a match between Dubai Wolves by CAFU and UAE Polo teams on 25th of January, Field 3 in Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club.

Photos by Khalil Ahli

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24 January 2022, Dubai, UAE: The second day of the tournament opened with a goal from Pablo Urquiza for AM Polo team and had Benjamin Panelo closing the first chukker…

Asia, Polo News

Active Polo autumn in Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club near Shanghai

5. November 2021

Dr. Cinderella von Dungern, 5. November 2021

Being the first international club in modern polo in China, the famous “Nine Dragon Hill Polo Club (NDH)” is well-known in international polo and among a wide range of domestic equestrians and celebrities. The club organized several medium and high goal tournaments in the past and players from all over the world came to the prestigious club around 90 minutes car-ride from Shanghai. Quite a few patrons of NDH went abroad to play in sophisticated international tournaments in Thailand, Argentina and even in Germany. Due to strict pandemic travel restrictions for foreign players and visitors, its cosmopolitan flair changed to more domestic classy events. Just recently another interesting polo tournament took place in the impressive club’s premises in Zhejiang province between Shanghai and Hangzhou. The club hosted the second part of the “Metropolitan & Nine Dragon Hill Polo Summit Score Tournament 2021”. The event was co-organized by “Polo Summit” and “Tianjin Metropolitan Polo Club” and followed a first round which was run in mid-October in Tianjin. The idea behind this circle event is to bring Chinese players from various cities, levels, and clubs together and improve their skills by rotating horses, teams and playing fields.

The external circumstances of “a whole country under pandemic zero case prevention” since almost two years, are affecting China’s modern polo development harshly. Again, also for this event, a high level of flexibility in team and horse staffing until the very last moment of the game start was required by Lilian Wang, general manager of NDH. Just a few days before the game was supposed to start, a comparatively marginal number of new Covid-cases occurred in some few parts of China which led to immediate traveling restrictions and obligatory quarantine isolation for many citizens, e.g., it involved a sudden total lock-down of Disneyland Shanghai and escort of full trains directly to quarantines. The constant fear of getting caught in an unexpected 14 days-isolated quarantine while traveling elsewhere prevented several players, sponsors, and visitors from joining the polo field.

With much passion and stamina, Chinese polo clubs and players successfully adjust to those restrictions and keep the ‘polo fire’ burning and the legacy high. The polo season in 2021 was actively orchestrated through these challenging Covid-times by various sportive and elegant club cups in Anping (Tang Polo Club), Tianjin (Metropolitan Polo Club) and Shanghai (Nine Dragon Hills Polo Club). In addition to active games and club chukkas, Chinese leading polo pioneers have also enacted a sophisticated national polo handicap rating system and are training the players according to the international rules by Hurlingham Polo Association. Just recently, the new “Green book of polo rules in Chinese” was issued by Jacky Wang and her mother, an impressive work for China’s polo & equestrian society. Equipping domestic players with theoretical and practical skills underlines the impressive transition from ancient polo in China towards a modern international polo equestrian discipline. While the North of China is facing now cold temperatures and moved chukkas and training indoor and arena polo, the South offers still warm sunshine and excellent conditions to play outdoors. Hence, NDH is organizing several more polo games until early December.

At this polo club, players can find not only excellent horses and facilities, but have the chance to meet with a range of experienced patrons and polo pioneers who support the club life and create a sophisticated level of polo. One pioneer of polo in China is Su Rong, who once introduced the sport to many Chinese players and led the first tours to Argentina. Being a director for basically all the movie scenes with horses in big movies, his horsemanship knowledge is superior. He imported many horses from Argentina, US, and UK and together with other pioneers, developed the Chinese modern polo scene from the scratch. Since many years, he is breeding young polo ponies (with imported sperm from UK and Argentina) on the club’s facilities and successfully trains them even into high goal horses. In this tournament he was the umpire and guided the ambitious players along the complex polo rules. The manager of the club, Lilian Wang, is most familiar with the polo scene in China and since modern polo started in 2008, has witnessed many developments in the market. She organized tournaments, sponsors, and several players with great success. She joined the NDH club as director a long time ago, when Mr Qinfu Li once founded the Nine Dragons Hill Estate in the surroundings of Zhapu and Pinghu in Zhejiang province. Mr Li had the ambitious plan to develop “the Venice of the East” with a large private tourism resort for high-end golf, polo, and yachting, combined with a supreme European-style villa & apartment resort. After some changes in shareholder structure and government regulations on land-use, the club had to relocate its main playing fields ten years ago from the ocean shore towards up-hill, still in the same magnificent park arena which is surrounded by beautiful mountains and offers a splendid view on the East China Sea. Since 2011, NDH is operating in new quite advanced training and playing facilities. The stables are state of the art and the club’s premises are exclusive and top-notch. It’s a premium private polo club with many social activities and a personal family atmosphere.

In the tournament, 12 players competed in three teams in a ‘round robin’ the first day and organized club chukkas for the second day. After intense and speedy polo fights on the fields, sun was already down and the scores were tight, the invited guests and players joined a cheerful barbeque club night. Being there feels very warm and charming, like a little polo family. Chinese national player Windson Rao (hcp 0) and patron of team ‘Fast Fish’ is passionate about polo. He has been playing in clubs all over the world for more than 10 years, sponsored several professional players and games and is chairman of a large fast fashion chain company. His team won the club tournament. Brian Xu, who joined Sunday chukkas, is another famous Chinese player. He is president of Axus, a wooden pencil and stationery manufacturer in Shanghai, and went several times also to polo clubs in the South of Germany. Both are Chinese patrons with a strong sense for high quality horses and have a thorough understanding of the strategy in playing the game. Their long-term commitment, excellent skills and network enabled the club in Shanghai to establish a promising solid and exclusive polo center. Of course, there are a few more patrons, all of them are promoting and enhancing polo in China and it’s very rewarding to get a glimpse of this dynamic and sportive development.

As Shanghai is a popular business hub among Western expatriates and executives, many of those who play polo know the NDH club and often come to join their activities. One of the distinguished guests is Dr. James Tong (USPA rating -1) who was born in Shanghai but went to the US for his education. He started his professional career on Wall Street. After becoming a venture capitalist, one of his funds invested in an equestrian breeding business named Rider Horse. He started acquiring polo ponies and equestrian properties in 2019 at St. Louis, MO and Indio, CA. He’s the owner of Thor LLC which is the home of 15 equestrian professionals and 70+ horses at various disciplines ranging from polo, dressage, hunter jumper, western reining, barrel racing and others. His view on Polo in China is reflected: “Polo is a burgeoning sport in China. Due to the relative significant costs in operation, there have been fluctuations in the number of players and games each year. Often it was portrayed as a luxurious discipline that were afforded only by the super-rich. This notion could have deterred a meaningful number of people who could have entered the sport and excelled while enticing another group of affluent individuals who would purchase horses yet scarcely play after knowing how much dedication is needed to improve and enjoy the sport. The costs of running the operation are another consideration. All polo clubs have endured hardship during pandemic across China as well as US. Even more so in China. Polo should gain strong momentum if the operation is carried out efficiently with methodical and inventive methods of training in place for China grown polo ponies.”

Shanghai Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club

Shanghai Nine Dragon Hill Polo Club was founded in 2008 and has a British and Argentinean background. It is the first international standard private polo club and among the three leading polo clubs in China. The club takes its’ name from a beautiful coastal parkland of Nine Dragons Hill resort where it is situated together with Golf and Marina clubs. The club is 90 minutes’ drive from Shanghai near Zhapu Town (Pinghu) in Zhejiang province. It is an exclusive, private members club and has around 600 members, of which only a few selected are active polo players. The club plays polo on a highest level and offers a wide range of services. In 2011, it had to relocate its polo field from the ocean shore up-hill to a new area, but still in the same scenic spot. The club, which is also famous for its horse care service and training team, has the only international standard turf horse racing track, over 300 stable blocks, outdoor arenas and fields for both polo and equestrian competitions. It offers excellent facilities and around 120 polo ponies. A few years ago, the club starting breading young polo ponies by themselves.

Website*: http://www.ndhpolo.com/

* Please be informed that due to other national major social media channels, in China websites are not the main platform for communication and hence not regularly updated or used.

Team “Fast Fish”
Will Yang (hcp 0)
Dr. Cinderella von Dungern (hcp 0)
James J. Tong (hcp -1)
Windson Rao (hcp 0)

Team “Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club” (NDH)
Yan Kangliang (hcp -2)
Jack Ji (hcp 0)
Alan Xing (hcp 0)
Da Hai (hcp -1)

Team „Tianjin Metropolitan Polo Club”
Eko Zheng Yin (hcp -2)
Zack Liang (hcp 0)
Biao Wang (hcp 0)
Jeff Su (hcp 0)

Umpire
Su Rong

Results
Game A: Fast Fish vs NDH 2:0
Game B: Fast Fish vs Tianjin 3:2
Game C: Tianjin vs NDH: 3:3
Ranking: 1st Fast Fish, 2nd Tianjin 3rd NDH

Photos: ©NDH, Lillian Wang, Cinderella v. Dungern

Dr. Cinderella von Dungern, 5. November 2021 Being the first international club in modern polo in China, the famous “Nine Dragon Hill Polo Club (NDH)” is well-known in international polo…

Asia, Polo News

Hesketh Polo Wins the Ladies Charity Cup For the Third Year

1. November 2021

Narrow win for Hesketh Polo, ending the game with a half goal lead against Lionesses Polo.

29 October 2021, Dubai, UAE: The third edition of the Ladies Charity Cup, held in association with Al Jalila Foundation and Brest Friends, gathers the strength of women in the sport of polo in honour of the breast cancer awareness advocacy.

The afternoon featured two exhibition matches, a pink-themed picnic area where guests enjoyed the games in polo picnic style, a shopping village, free breast examinations from SEHA, free activities for the little ones, prizes for the best-dressed ladies, and competitions with valuable prizes.

The first match between the Pink Warriors and Pink Soldiers opened with a goal from Raja Abuljebain, and the Warriors closed the first chukker at 2 goals to nil. The team kept its lead by halftime and carved a 3 goal lead at the end of the third chukker. The Pink Soldiers managed to close the gap in scores during the last quarter but, Habtoor Al Habtoor scored back to back goals and closed the game at 5 – 2 goals.

The ladies match saw Hesketh Polo face a new team – Lionesses Polo. Hesketh Polo dominated the first half of the game and the penultimate chukker saw a Lionesses make a comeback as they took the lead at 3 goals to 2.5. Lauren Dickson broke the lead during the fourth chukker only to be reciprocated by a goal from Georgina

Brittany. With a few seconds left on clock, Lee Slimmings scored a goal that sealed Hesketh‘s claim to the Ladies Charity Cup 2021 trophy with a final score of 4.5 – 4.

Fatima Al Hamadi, a patient representative from SEHA, awarded the teams of the day. Georgina Brittany was the most valuable player. Madel, an Al Habtoor Polo Academy horse was the Best Playing Pony of the day. The winners received gifts from Black Hound Sports Dubai, Biologique Recherche, and The Bunch Box.

The Club also hosted a Charity Auction for the benefit of its charity partner. The auction featured beautiful works of art from the Art Connects Women collection donated by Zee Arts Gallery. Valuable polo memorabilia signed by polo superstars such as Pablo Mac Donough, the 10-goalers from the Pieres clan, Facundo Sola and Alfredo Cappella, were also showcased at the auction.

Photos: © Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club

Narrow win for Hesketh Polo, ending the game with a half goal lead against Lionesses Polo. 29 October 2021, Dubai, UAE: The third edition of the Ladies Charity Cup, held…

Asia, Polo News

Tianjin VIP Member Polo Weekend in China

21. October 2021

Dr. Cinderella von Dungern, 19. October 2021

Tianjin is a second tier, coastal municipality in Northern China, around one hour car drive east from Beijing on the shore of the Bohai Sea. With a population of around 15 million inhabitants, it is one of the nine national central cities in China and has a long history as major seaport and gateway for trade. Western influence has also played an important role in this city, as it emerged from the concessional history and global trade city in the 19^th century into a modern business hub for many western companies and expatriates today. So, it is not surprising to find there since 2010 also a polo ground according to international standards. Before COVID started, the club hosted large international medium and high goal polo events with an international participation and recognition. Due to the external travel restrictions, this and last season they organized a range of national low goal events.

In mid-October, the “Tianjin Metropolitan Polo Club” hosted a low goal-tournament as part of the “Metropolitan & Nine Dragon Hill Polo Summit Score Tournament 2021”. The event was co-organized by “Polo Summit” and “Shanghai Nine Dragon Hill Polo Club” and was supported by Mixc and China Jockey Club. Shao Wenyao, chief editor of China Jockey Club National Equine Media, and Xu Zhaoyu, director of the International Department of Chinese Jockey Club visited the event.

In the impressive premises and facilities of the Tianjin polo club and after a solemn open ceremony with Maserati cars and line-up of all teams, the players fought hard and with lots of passion and enthusiasm. As temperatures were chilly for horses and players and season’s end is approaching, playing safe and healthy was most important for the enthusiastic polo crowd the match. The polo professional Cesar Hugo Palacios from Argentina Corrientes (hcp +3) joined the match and his presence on the field then made the game very high quality and fast. Hugo came to China in 2015 and is the leading coach in Tianjin. Being an active polo since more than 20 years his idea for his time in China is on the one hand to promote beginners and on the other hand, train the domestic players & horses according to international standards. Prior to his arrival in China, he has also been playing in England, Nigeria, and Ireland. Three teams played in a ‘round robin’-competition with various players from Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin. Team “Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club” won both games and became first, second prize went to the team “Polo Summit” and third place was awarded to the team “Metropolitan Polo Club”.

Polo culture in China has a long history and is an important part of Chinese horse culture. Modern polo in China began in 2005 when the first club in the country was founded by Xia Yang (Beijing Sunnytimes Polo Club). In 2019, China’s first professional standard on polo was issued, in September 2021 the first polo rulebook, the green book of modern Chinese polo rules, was published in China. With great personal efforts of a few polo pioneers many exciting national and international tournaments of various kinds took place all over the country. But still, considering its size and population, China is a country where very little polo is played. Hence, getting more polo to be played, is the challenge for its polo community. Since many years national clubs also promote the development of China’s national polo league, thus the exchange and cooperation of domestic polo clubs play a major role in offering various platforms for new Chinese polo riders to learn and compete on the field.

Muniain (Mucho) Chen is one of those early movers and he established “Polo Summit” to increase opportunities for competition between national players of all levels, so that more people will get attracted by this sport in China. To his observation, Polo is becoming more and more popular, but it requires constant efforts to enhance and keep the level and develop a professional polo culture. So, for him as the tournament’s organizer it was very important to also integrate five female polo players which is quite unique for Chinese Polo Cups. Among them, Ms. Wa Wa was also actively playing. She is the first woman polo player in China and a pioneer in her generation.

Tianjin Metropolitan Polo Club

Tianjin Metropolitan Polo Club was founded in 2010 by Goldin Group, but is now operating on its own. The club has one international standard high- goal and one training polo field as well as a sand and indoor arena. With 150 polo ponies imported from New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, and Europe it is also a leading training center in China for learning polo. Many people in Northern China start their polo career here, as they can benefit from good quality horses, facilities, and an elaborated training program.

Shanghai Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club

Shanghai Nine Dragon Hill Polo Club was founded in 2008 and has a British and Argentinean background. It is one of the three leading polo clubs in China. The club takes its’ name from a beautiful coastal parkland of Nine Dragons Hill resort and is an exclusive, private members club. The club is one hour drive from Shanghai and offers excellent facilities, two full-size polo fields and around 100 polo ponies.

Team “Metropolitan Polo Club” Michael Xu (hcp 0) Henry Tang (hcp -1) Xu (Alex) Xing (hcp -1) Man (Fatin) Li (hcp -2)

Team “Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club” Yan Kangliang (-2 hcp) Sun Kai (-2 hcp) Dr. Cinderella von Dungern (-1 hcp) Cesar Hugo Palacios (+3 hcp)

Team „Polo Summit” Hao (Wa Wa) Xinyu (-1 hcp) / Liu Yiyi (-1 hcp) Feng Laoxian (-2 hcp) / Yuan Jian (- 2hcp) Ye Yang (-1 hcp) Muniain (Mucho) Chen (0 hcp)

Umpires (in alternate order) Michael Xu, Cesar Hugo Palacios, Muniain Chen

Photos: ©Polo Summit / MPC

Dr. Cinderella von Dungern, 19. October 2021 Tianjin is a second tier, coastal municipality in Northern China, around one hour car drive east from Beijing on the shore of the…

Asia, Polo News

Polo in China is getting back: Tang Polo Club China hosted the JJ International Launch Tournament in Anping

13. September 2021

By Dr. Cinderella von Dungern

September 13^th, 2021

In ancient China, polo originated 2,000 years ago in the East Han Dynasty (207BC-AD25) when the traditional name for the game was “jiju” and peaked in the Tang Dynasty, who ruled China from 618-907 AD. Polo became the game of choice for the Chinese elite and was viewed as a form of entertainment rather than a competitive sport. Tang emperors used polo even as a tool of diplomacy.

In modern China, polo enjoyed a remarkable renaissance in the past two decades. Many clubs have opened, among them Tang Polo Club (founded 2010 by Shilai Liu, recently relocated from Beijing to Anping/Hebei), Beijing’s Sunny Times club (founded by Xia Yang), Shanghai’s Nine Dragons Club (2008) and Tianjin’s Metropolitan Polo Club (originally backed by Goldin Group, but since around two years operating on their own) with quite an active international participation, interaction and publicity. Many clubs have hosted 16-goal international tournaments with intense media coverage on their impressive grounds, and each club has imported more than 100 ponies from Australia, Argentina and Europe. Chinese players went to polo events worldwide and the sport was undergoing a resurgence in the upper classes of China. Although there are less than 100 amateurs, China seems to develop to an interesting new destination for Polo with much attention from international polo fans.

However, due to COVID restrictions, it has been a very silent polo period over the past 20 months. Since the pandemic started, the polo sport in China has been severely affected in various dimensions. Due to travel and visa restrictions, no foreign polo professionals, trainers or grooms can enter the country since more than one and a half years now. Domestic and international travel and transportation for Chinese polo players and horses are also highly limited due to national lockdowns, long isolated medical quarantine programs and many other restrictive government prevention rules that follow a zero-case policy. In addition to that, logistics for international horse transportation is challenging if not impossible. This is by far the most demanding part, as a good and high-quality polo pony is the basis for every player, especially if the player is just starting to learn or if experienced and wants to improve his/her skills. The horses that have been imported to China in the past 20 years are in excellent condition but of course are reaching their age limits. But importing new horses is extremely difficult since international cargo for horses to China is not easily available in times of Corona. Even if new horses were able to arrive in China, it would require professional international trainers and at least a few medium-goal tournaments in the country to keep the horse’s level high. A constant exposure to high quality chukkas and games would benefit both, horses and players. It seems that those restrictions for global commuting and visa permissions led to a temporary stand-still of the once exciting and very dynamic international polo scene in China.

Against this backdrop, it is encouraging to see that currently three active clubs (Tang Polo Club, Tianjin Metropolitan Polo Club and Nine Dragons Club Shanghai) have continued to host some internal low-goal tournaments and club chukkas and are constantly developing the national scene. Of course, quite a few Chinese players could play higher handicap games and every active Chinese player is longing to get back to international playgrounds and exposure soon, but if there is no other choice, pushing the domestic market is a valuable investment in the longer term. Early September 2021, a special private tournament was organized by JJ International company, hosted by Tang Polo Club at the club’s fields in Anping (three hours from Beijing), to launch the company founding with the vision of promoting polo sport allover China. With an impressive cultural side program and many distinguished visitors from Beijing and the Chinese equestrian society, polo was introduced to the audience in a refreshing way.

Due to strict COVID-limitations the selected numbers of players and games had to be rather exclusive. Eight players competed on two days in two teams (each game with four chukkas). Among the players were three very experienced Chinese polo players: Yanyang Li (hcp 0), chief editor of of the Chinese publication “Horsemanship Magazine”, Yin Bao (hcp 2), manager of Tang Polo Club and Shilai Liu (hcp 2). Shilai Liu is the top polo player in China. Among many other passions and business activities, he is founder and owner of the Tang Polo Club and China’s first member of the International Polo Association. He has played in Argentina, Australia, the US, Europe, and Thailand and is one of the main promoters to establish a legacy for polo in China.

The game was competitive but very fair. Horses and players were in perfect shape, and despite being classified as a low-goal tournament, the level of polo was high and tight. Both teams were rather equally balanced and ambitious, hence the game became very speedy and sportive. The team of Tang Polo Club finally won the tournament with a 12:10 score (6:6 the first day) and received the award from the organizer Justin Jiang, founder of JJ International.

Teams:

TANG POLO CLUB
Jiping (James) Liu (-2)
Ketu Chao (1)
Yanyang Li (0)
Shilai Liu (2)

JJ INTERNATIONAL
La A Gu (-1)
Dr. Cinderella von Dungern (-1)
Justin Jiang (0)
Yin Bao (2)

Umpire
Bao Er

Images: ©JJ International

By Dr. Cinderella von Dungern September 13th, 2021 In ancient China, polo originated 2,000 years ago in the East Han Dynasty (207BC-AD25) when the traditional name for the game was…

Art & Design, Asia, Lifestyle, Polo News

Contemporary Art Exhibition Louvre Abu Dhabi Art

27. August 2021

INTERNATIONAL JURY PANEL FOR LOUVRE ABU DHABI ART HERE 2021 AND THE RICHARD MILLE ART PRIZE UNVEILED

• Comprising esteemed art experts from around the world, the jury will select the artists to be featured in the Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 exhibition from 16 November 2021 to 27 March 2022

• The call for proposals for UAE-based artists is open until 11 September; proposals can be submitted via Louvre Abu Dhabi’s website

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 18 August 2021: Louvre Abu Dhabi and Swiss watchmaking brand Richard Mille have revealed the jury for the inaugural edition of their contemporary art exhibition Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 and The Richard Mille Art Prize. Composed of four members, the jury has been drawn from diverse artistic spheres including curatorial, architectural and institutional. The distinguished panel will first select a shortlist of artists to participate in the upcoming exhibition, from the ongoing open call for proposals, and following the exhibition launch will award a $50,000 cash prize to the 2021 recipient of The Richard Mille Art Prize.

The 2021 jury members are H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Chairman of UAE Unlimited, an art collector and patron of the Centre Pompidou, the British Museum, Sharjah Art Foundation, and an honorary patron of Art Dubai; Christine Macel, the Chief Curator at the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou and an art critic; Hala Wardé, founding architect of HW Architecture, long-term partner of Jean Nouvel and the lead of the Louvre Abu Dhabi project; and Dr. Souraya Noujaim, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Scientific, Curatorial and Collections Management Director.

“Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 breathes new life into the role of the museum by not merely celebrating the past, but rooting and contextualising contemporary art in its present setting through interactions and links with contemporary artists,” said Dr. Noujaim. “We are happy to launch this new chapter in collaboration with Richard Mille, marking Louvre Abu Dhabi’s continued extension into contemporary art and highlighting our ever-present dedication to local artistic talent. For this first edition, we are privileged to have the support and expertise of our esteemed jury members, who have demonstrated their commitment to Louvre Abu Dhabi and their strong interest in the local contemporary art scene.”

The artists shortlisted by the jury will showcase their work in the Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 exhibition, on view from 16 November 2021 to 27 March 2022 in the museum’s Forum, a space of interaction and exchange dedicated to contemporary art. From among these shortlisted artists, the jury will select the recipient of the first edition of The Richard Mille Art Prize.

For this inaugural year, UAE-based artists are invited to submit proposals around the theme of ‘Memory, Time and Territory’, with the exhibition and prize shining a spotlight on local talent as part of the UAE’s wider 50th National Day celebrations. Proposals from the open call may be submitted until 11 September 2021 via the Louvre Abu Dhabi website.

For more information about Louvre Abu Dhabi Art Here 2021 exhibition and The Richard Mille Art Prize, please visit www.louvreabudhabi.ae.

For 2021 jury members’ biographies, please click here.

www.richardmille.com

INTERNATIONAL JURY PANEL FOR LOUVRE ABU DHABI ART HERE 2021 AND THE RICHARD MILLE ART PRIZE UNVEILED • Comprising esteemed art experts from around the world, the jury will select…

Asia, Polo News

Ankora Polo Ends the Season with a Victory at the AHPRC League 2021

3. May 2021

30 April 2021, Dubai, UAE: The last tournament of the Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club‘s polo calendar ended with a runaway win for the Ankora Polo against Hesketh Polo team.

The tournament final saw Ankora Polo take a dominant position with its flurry of goals in the first chukker Ricardo Garros. The following chukker followed a similar trend with Hesketh Polo scoring only a handful of goals that by halftime, Ankora was at a 4 goal lead. Aiti ramped up the lead with 3 goals during the third that increased the gap in scores by 7. Relentless, the team scored an additional 2 goals at the final chukker and closed the game at 13 goals to 5.

Philip d‘Amat, General Manager of Al Habtoor Polo Resort hotel awarded the teams of the day with Lauren Dickson as the Most Valuable Player.

The tournament is sponsored by Energy International Corporation. The company has been a single resource supplier of mechanical, electrical, controls, and ventilation equipment, supplier and contractor of Parking systems, Traffic management Systems, Traffic Enforcement & Control Systems, Electronic Ticketing and Vending, and a supplier and contractor of aviation and airport ground support equipment internationally since 1978.

Images: Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club

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30 April 2021, Dubai, UAE: The last tournament of the Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club‘s polo calendar ended with a runaway win for the Ankora Polo against Hesketh Polo…

Asia, Polo News

Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club Honors Top Performing Players and Teams

27. April 2021

24 April 2021, Dubai, UAE: The Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club hosted its first End of Season Polo Awards 2021 in Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Hotel and recognized the exemplary display of athleticism during its Polo Season from 2020 to 2021.

The Club‘s polo calendar comprised of 14 tournaments that started in October 2020 and had received the participation of players based locally and abroad with the support of its trusted sponsors and partners. It had seen new teams form throughout the season through collaborations and sponsorships in its games. The Club also witnessed its Polo Academy students advance in the Sport of Kings as they polished their skills in several Club Chukkers and Kids Polo matches.

The End of Season Polo Awards 2021 marked the culmination of the consistent performance of the team behind each polo event of the Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club. The evening attended by Mohammed Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman and CEO of Habtoor Group with other key members of the polo community. The winners of the evening received gifts from Il Giardino Flowers Boutique, Baylandi House of Scarf, Majesticq, Equusir, Black Hound Sports Dubai and U.S. Polo Assn.

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24 April 2021, Dubai, UAE: The Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Club hosted its first End of Season Polo Awards 2021 in Al Habtoor Polo Resort and Hotel and recognized…

Asia, Polo News

Defending Champion Habtoor Polo Tops the Dubai Cup 2021 Tournament

16. April 2021

14 April 2021, Dubai, UAE: Habtoor Polo team claimed the last trophy of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series for the fourth year as it smashed the competition – Ankora/Dr. A Polo team and closed the game at 7 goals to 5.

Round robin games amongst AM Polo, Dubai IMMO and El Basha Polo teams kicked off the Subsidiary Match of the Dubai Cup 2021.

Match Progression:

El Basha Polo vs. Dubai IMMO:

2.5 – 2 | 3.5 – 2

Dubai IMMO vs. AM Polo:

0.5 – 2 | 3.5 – 3

AM Polo vs. El Basha: 2 – .5 | 4 – 3.5

Habtoor Polo team‘s performance throughout the final was consistent and had the early lead with 2 goals. Ankora/Dr. A Polo team on its tail, Ricardo Garros managed to match the goals delivered by its opponent by halftime. The final chukker had seen Aiti Garros threaten the impending win for Habtoor Polo as he levelled the game at 5 goals at mid chukker. Both teams raced for the win and Santiago Gomez Romero nicked the 6th goal for Habtoor Polo and with ample time on the clock, Ankora/Dr. A Polo attempted to tie the game once more. But Habtoor Al Habtoor broke through and delivered an excellent runaway goal that sealed the win for Habtoor Polo team.

Match Progression: 2 – 0 | 4 – 2 | 5 – 3 | 7 – 5

• Philippe d‘Amat, General Manager of Al Habtoor Polo Resort awarded the teams of the day:
• Dubai Cup 2021 Winner – Habtoor Polo Team
• Dubai Cup 2021 Runner Up – Ankora / Dr. A Polo
• Most Valuable Player – Habtoor Al Habtoor
• Subsidiary Runner Up – Dubai IMMO
• Subsidiary Winner – El Basha Polo
• 5th Place – AM Polo

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14 April 2021, Dubai, UAE: Habtoor Polo team claimed the last trophy of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series for the fourth year as it smashed the competition – Ankora/Dr.…