Polo Rider Cup falls foul of Covid-19
THE highly anticipated Polo Rider Cup, the inaugural of which was to take place next July at Chantilly in France has been postponed until 2021 because of the Covid-19 crisis.
The tournament that was to welcome at least eight teams handicapped at 10 to 12 goals including France had been approved by the Federation Internationale de Polo (FIP), the French Polo Federation and the Polo Club of Chantilly.
Officials have postponed the Polo Rider Cup, which was to be held in France over the summer
Coordinated by the Game Polo organisation, international teams from across Europe as well as the Baltics were set to participate along with a junior league international teams throughout the first 10 days in July.
“The objective of the Polo Rider Cup is to give clubs maximum visibility with an integral marketing plan,” said Benoit Perrier, Game Polo CEO in early February when the tournament was announced. “We wanted to put one together in an official context with the support of the FIP and other associations. The club’s philosophy centres on doing everything we can to give the sport as much visibility as possible, offering top quality grounds and finishing the season with a competition worthy of the sporting spirit of Chantilly.”
The decision to postpone the inaugural tournament was a joint decision between officials in the international polo community in consultation with Game Polo. Along with the FIP and representatives from France and Chantilly, a new date in July 2021 is expected to be released on agreement of all participants.
Officials at the Argentine Polo Association have recently held an online conference with international representatives about the impact of Covid-19 on the 2020 tournament schedule. Hurlingham Polo Association, the United States Polo Association, the French Polo Federation and Spanish Polo Federation have released a joint statement of cooperation for the best outcome of the 2020 polo season.
“The idea is that we will all work together and will cooperate in order that all associations are able to have the best possible polo season while minimising the effects of the pandemic and prioritising the health and safety of players, umpires, grooms and everyone who helps put on polo events,” the statement read. “As the situation is rapidly changing it has been agreed that (online) digital meetings will be held regularly and information will be sent to all polo associations via the FIP communication channels.”
Events as they happen including confirmation of a new date for the Polo Rider Cup will be available at media@game-polo.com or at https://www.fippolo.com or through online links to national polo associations.
ENDS
