Fédération Francaise de Polo

This Thursday (June 8th), the first Nations Cup in the history of polo kicks off. Four federations – the US Polo Association, the Korea Polo Federation (South Korea), the Deutscher Polo Verband e.V. (Germany) and the Fédération Française de Polo – have given their support to this French initiative, and have delegated a total of eight teams for this first edition.

Germany has nominated two teams to play under the colors of Bavaria and the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, the USA will be represented by Illinois and California, and France by Normandy, the PACA region and Hauts de France.

The more „exotic“ entry of KPF (Korea) is part of a drive to develop polo in that country through a program that notably encourages the introduction and practice of the sport in secondary schools and universities, supervised by British and New Zealand coaches, and that has been set up on the model long developed in the United States. The team selected for Chantilly, sponsored by Korean companies, will be the ambassador of Korean polo and has been training intensively for the past few months, taking part in international tournaments in Spain (Sotogrande), Saint-Tropez, Argentina, the Philippines, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. More than victory, the aim in Chantilly, explains Steve Joh, President of the Korea Polo Federation, is to put Korea on the international polo map and create new relations: „We‘re looking forward to making new friends on and off the field!”

France‘s chances are threefold, with two teams based in Chantilly, led by the two best players the country has to offer: 6-goalers Pierre Henri N‘Goumou (Normandy) and Brieuc Rigaux (Hauts de France). The PACA region‘s squad includes three young players trained at the Chantilly Polo Club including the newly crowned Arena Polo World Champions Louis Jarrige and Dorian Bulteau.

After the preliminary phase, in which all teams will play each other until Tuesday June 13th, the four best teams will face each other in the semi-finals on Friday June 16th, and the finals will be held on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. for the third-place-play-off and at 3:00 p.m. for the first Polo Nations Cup grand finale.

In Chantilly, admission to all games – including those in the final phase – is free for all. Polo at Chantilly is more than just a sport: it‘s an experience that includes the discovery of an Argentinian atmosphere, weekday matches in a more intimate atmosphere before dusk (with food-truck), and matches with commentary by a French-speaking Argentinian specialist with a charming Latin accent. Plus, on the day of the finals (June 18th): polo initiations on wooden horses and a village welcoming visitors with saddlery stands, Argentinean products and food-trucks.