At the final of the 25th Polo Open de France held at Chantilly Polo Club on Sunday September 21st, team Octogone (Alexis Morange, Justo Laulhé, Louis Hine, and David ‘Pelon’ Stirling) was awarded the Standing Rock Fair Play Award for demonstrating exceptional conduct, sportsmanship and horsemanship throughout the tournament.
Emerging as winners of the thrilling final match played against team Kazak, which ended 9-6, Octogone was chosen by the umpires as the recipient of the Standing Rock Fair Play Award, due to the respect for umpires, positive attitude and discipline the team upheld for the duration of the competition.
Despite Octogone’s Pelon Stirling suffering a fall in the second chukker and injuring his shoulder, he refused to give up, and despite the pain, he got back on his horse and led his team to victory.
Throughout the three weeks of the French Open tournament, all teams were judged based on the following specific criteria:
- Team displaying the best sportsmanship
For example:
- shaking hands before and after the game
- respecting the opposition team
- assisting an opposing player who drops his/her mallet
- admitting when ball was out or when it was a goal for the other team
- Best conduct towards umpires
For example:
- respecting the umpires and their decisions
- no arguing
- respecting goal judges
- only the Captain speaking
- thanking the umpires whatever the outcome
- providing a suitable umpire pony
- no public criticism of umpires after games
- Best discipline on and off the field
For example:
- no shouting or cursing
- no whipping of ponies or other welfare issues
- being on time
- showing a sporting attitude with positive body language
- good care of ponies including offering water after the game
- helpful attitude and action with all officials and other teams
- demonstrating the core values the award represents
The group of professional umpires for the French Open consisted of Jason Dixon, Ben Turner, Henry Fisher and Peter Wright from the UK, Pepe Araya and Martin Inchauspe from Argentina, and Clement Gosset from France. The umpires evaluated and scored teams after every match, with Chantilly Polo club overseeing the scoring and calculations to ensure the process was fair and transparent.
The prestigious Standing Rock Fair Play Trophy was presented to Octogone by Chief Umpire, Peter Wright, during the finals ceremony. Peter commented:
“It was an honour to present the Standing Rock Fair Play award this year at The French Open. The recipients, Octogone, were worthy winners, showing outstanding sportsmanship and respect to both the officials on the field and their opponents throughout the tournament.
The Standing Rock Fair Play Award is unique in polo for shining a light on integrity, sportsmanship and respect for umpires, opposition and our equine partners. In its second year at Chantilly, I hope and expect that its ongoing importance will continue to grow.”
Polo Manager of Chantilly Polo Club, Benoit Perrier, echoed this enthusiasm for the award by describing the second year of the initiative as, “A great success! The team Octogone had a fantastic tournament with exemplary spirit.”
Gaining incredibly positive feedback from players, umpires and polo clubs since the Standing Rock Fair Play Award was inaugurated in 2024 as a new initiative, the award is expanding internationally by partnering with more polo clubs around the world, gaining increasing recognition and inspiring polo players and teams to set the highest levels of excellence and integrity in the sport.
Standing Rock Polo Team, led by Swiss Patron Philipp Müller, has now pledged to support the presentation of the Standing Rock Fair Play Award by the HPA through the Victor Ludorum series in England; at The French Open; by the New Zealand Polo Association during the New Zealand Open; and by the New South Wales Polo Association in Australia.
Image: Justine Jacquemot
Text: Jasmin Calver Peer Polo Ltd./ Standing Rock
