World Polo together with the ARAF-Elite Horse & Polo Club organises the first ever FIP Arena Polo European Championship in Baku/Azerbaijan. On six days, six teams will combat for the trophy. The Federation of International Polo has awarded the event to Azerbaijan at the general assembly in December 2014 in Buenos Aires. Now the line-ups of the teams have been announced.
2013, the traditional sport of polo – formerly named Shovgan in Azerbaijan – returned to Baku with the Grass Arena Polo World Cup Azerbaijan. In the past two years World Polo organised two successful polo events in the Azerbaijani capital, under the direction of Reto Gaudenzi and in cooperation with the Equestrian Federation of Azerbaijan Republic (ARAF) and the Elite Horse and Polo Club Bina. Following the huge success of the past two years, this year’s edition of the tournament will be even bigger: from 4-12 September 2015, six teams with a handicap of 6 to 8 goals from Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and a local team from Azerbaijan will fight for the title of the 1st FIP Arena Polo European Championship Azerbaijan.
The tournament consists of 18 highly competitive matches. Each participating team will consist of three players and two substitutes. La Martina signs as official supplier of the tournament. The organizers provide a pool of 72 argentine polo horses from the Alegría Polo Farm and Garros Polo Farm Argentina. Since its successful first appearance at the Grass Arena Polo World Cup Azerbaijan in the past year, the host team from Azerbaijan has made tremendous progress and will be a great and competitive host team in 2015!
Teams:
Team Azerbaijan
Elchin Jamalli
Tarlan Gurbanaliyev
Elmir Aliyev
Team Ireland
James Connolly
Siobhan Herbst
James Kennedy Jr.
Keelan McCarthy
Patrick Ephson
Team Spain
Marcos Álvarez Talegón
Alvaro Álvarez Talegón
Antonio Ayesa Guix
Luis Benjumea Llorente
Team Switzerland
Luca Zindel
Cedric Schweri
Tito Gaudenzi
Fabio Meier
Team Germany
Patrick Maleitzke
Oliver Sommer
Philipp Sommer
Niklas Steinle
Team Italy
Franco Piazza
Oscar Caronna
Giordano Magini
Gianluca Magini
Schedule:
Friday, 4th September 2015
16.30 Gate Open
17.00 1st Polo match GERMANY – AZERBAIJAN
18.00 2nd Polo match SPAIN – ITALY
19.15 3rd Polo match SWITZERLAND – IRELAND
Saturday, 5th September 2015
16.30 Gate Open
17.00 1st Polo match ITALY – AZERBAIJAN
18.00 2nd Polo match SWITZERLAND – SPAIN
19.15 3rd Polo match IRELAND – GERMANY
Sunday, 6th September 2015
16.30 Gate Open
17.00 1st Polo match SWITZERLAND – ITALY
18.00 2nd Polo match GERMANY – SPAIN
19.15 3rd Polo match IRELAND – AZERBAIJAN
Thursday, 10th September 2015
16.30 Gate Open
17.00 Team presentation and opening ceremony
17.15 1st Polo match AZERBAIJAN – SWITZERLAND
18.00 2nd Polo match ITALY – GERMANY
19.15 3rd Polo match IRELAND – SPAIN
Friday, 11th September 2015
16.30 Gate Open
17.00 1st Polo match GERMANY – SWITZERLAND
18.00 2nd Polo match SPAIN – AZERBAIJAN
19.15 3rd Polo match ITALY – IRELAND
Saturday, 12th September 2015
17.00 Gate Open
17.30 Team and Horse Parade – Azerbaijan horse show
18.30 Polo game finals 5/6 Place
19.30 Polo game finals 3/4 Place
20.30 Finals European Championship
21.30 Prize giving ceremony
22.00 AZERBAIJAN Polo Party at Elite Horse & Polo Club (Ticket Hotline: (+994 12) 565 31 51, (+994 77) 498 00 00 və ya (+994 55) 920 99 51)
