Tantora Festival

Asia, Polo News

La Dolfina Polo Stars Arrive in World Heritage Site AlUla Ahead of Inaugural Desert Polo

17. January 2020

Argentine Greats Cambiaso, Mac Donough, Stirling & Nero Highlight New World First

AlUla Desert Polo, the first polo event to be organised by the new Saudi Polo Federation, gets underway tomorrow (Friday) at the specially built Desert Arena in the ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site of AlUla.

With players from the famous Argentinian side La Dolfina taking to the sands, AlUla Desert Polo, a world first, promises to be a thrilling spectacle in one of the most unique locations ever to host the Game of Kings.

Part of the Winter at Tantora festival, organised by the Royal Commission for AlUla and staged in northwestern Saudi Arabia, AlUla boasts a spectacular landscape of giant red-tinged sandstone outcrops. Set against this awesome backdrop, ten-goal players Adolfo Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling, Juan Martín Nero and Pablo Mac Donough will take to the field alongside talented and high profile amateur players as they bid for the very first AlUla Desert Polo Champions title.

Adolfo Cambiaso, who enjoyed a leisurely hit around at the ancient site of Hegra with his teammates on Wednesday said: “This location is simply breathtaking. Polo has taken me all over the world but this is the first time I’ve been given the opportunity to play at a world heritage site.

“This is an important event in Saudi Arabia’s sporting history and I hope that young people in Saudi Arabia will take a look at AlUla Desert Polo and want to get involved in the sport.”

Saudi Polo Federation chairman, Amr F Zedan, who is the patron of Zedan Polo Team and will play in the match said: “In Saudi Arabia we are taking steps to develop a stronger sporting culture in our society and this is one reason why the Saudi Polo Federation was founded.

“We are very excited about the start of this tournament and can’t wait to welcome polo friends from all over the world to the opening of AlUla Desert Polo.”

AlUla Desert Polo will feature four teams of three players including: Team AlUla, Team Amaala, Team Al Nahla and Team Richard Mille.

The weekend’s teams consist of:

AlUla Team
1. HRH Prince Abbas bin Ali Bin Nayef
2. Mohammad Al Habtoor
3. Adolfo Cambiaso

Richard Mille
1. HRH Prince Sultan Alfaisal
2. Amr Zedan
3. Pablo Mac Donough

Al Nahla Bentley
1. Sheikha Alya Al Maktoum
2. Saad Audeh
3. Pelon Stirling

Amaala
1. HSH Prince Carl von Oettingen-Wallerstein
2. George Spencer Churchill
3. Nacho Figueras

Tickets and packages can be purchased on experiencealula.com ; holidaysbysaudia.com or almosafer.com/en/winter-at-tantora

The Winter at Tantora festival will take place from December 19, 2019 – March 7, 2020 in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Details about the festival, its line-up and exceptional surroundings can be found at experiencealula.com with tickets on sale now. To stay up to date, please follow @WinteratTantora #DesertPolo on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Photos: © AlUla Desert Polo

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© Thomas Wirth

Argentine Greats Cambiaso, Mac Donough, Stirling & Nero Highlight New World First AlUla Desert Polo, the first polo event to be organised by the new Saudi Polo Federation, gets underway…

Asia, Polo News

WORLD FIRST DESERT POLO IS BORN IN THE UNSPOILED BEAUTY OF ALULA HERITAGE SITE

4. December 2019

International Polo Celebrated at Saudi Arabia’s First Official Polo Tournament

AlUla Desert Polo, the first tournament in Saudi Arabia to be held in cooperation with the Saudi Polo Federation, is to make its debut on January 16-18, 2020 as part of the Winter at Tantora cultural festival. Cradled against the backdrop of one of Arabia’s best kept secrets – the exquisite UNESCO heritage site in AlUla that will officially open to the public in October 2020 – AlUla Desert Polo represents a milestone in Saudi Arabia’s sporting and social journey. A new concept in world polo and inspired by the prestigious snow polo tournament held in St Moritz, Switzerland, Desert Polo will feature some of the most renowned players and patrons in the world of polo. Organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla in partnership with the Saudi Polo Federation, Desert Polo is one of the highlights of the three-month long Winter at Tantora festival, running from December to March and held in the historic and untouched region. Amr F Zedan, Chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation and an international polo patron said: “This tournament is a celebration of the transformational journey that we are making in Saudi Arabia. “Our goal in promoting this extraordinary event is twofold. We want to tap into the undiscovered sporting talent that we know exists among young Saudi men and women and encourage greater levels of participation in our sport. We are also proud to use sport, and polo in particular, as a vehicle to showcase a truly unique destination and an incredible overall experience to the world. Saudi Arabia has the capability, the infrastructure and, crucially, the will, to stage major events on the world stage and Desert Polo is just one example of this.” Amr AlMadani, the CEO of the Royal Commission for AlUla, welcomed the addition of Desert Polo to the prestigious and exciting roster of weekend events on the Winter at Tantora calendar: “AlUla is a place that sums up to the world the rich and as yet widely undiscovered culture within Saudi Arabia,” he said. “A major contributor to the heritage in this part of the world is our peoples’ connection to the horse. Therefore, it is symbolic that we are showcasing the progress of modern day Saudi Arabia here, in one of our most significant cultural sites.”

Winter at Tantora is offering two special polo package, for one day or three days featuring a special “Introduction to Polo” clinic. It includes a 1-hour introduction clinic to Polo, with a maximum limit of 10-per-day (first-come first-serve basis).

Tickets and packages can be purchased on experiencealula.com ; holidaysbysaudia.com or almosafer.com/en/winter-at-tantora

The Winter at Tantora festival will take place from December 19^th, 2019 – March 7^th, 2020 in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. Details about the festival, its line-up and exceptional surroundings can be found at experiencealula.com with tickets on sale now. To stay up to date, please follow @WinteratTantora on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

About Winter at Tantora Festival
Winter at Tantora is a festival in AlUla County in North-West Saudi Arabia, a place of extraordinary natural beauty and cultural heritage. Running from 19^th December 2019 to 7^th March 2020, Winter at Tantora will bring 12-weekends of wonder to the AlUla Oasis, inspired by its spectacular scenery. Home to archeological treasures, natural beauty and magnificent monuments that span millennia, AlUla is set on the ancient incense route between Southern Arabia and Egypt. It became a hub of commercial and cultural exchange because a lush oasis valley ran through it, creating an ideal environment for civilizations to flourish.

About The Saudi Polo Federation
The Saudi Polo Federation (SPF) was established in July 2018 as a means of developing the sport across The Kingdom and establishing international best practice from grass roots to elite levels. Aligned with key government stakeholders such as the General Sports Authority, the SPF works to further establish Saudi polo in a global context, continuing the work already undertaken by Saudi’s private polo patrons on the international stage.

Chaired by renowned Saudi polo player and businessman, Amr Zedan, the SPF seeks to encourage the sport among young Saudi men and women in accordance with the goals set out in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, while reflecting the transformational journey taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Photos: AlUla Desert Polo