The Ride On: Polo Nations Cup, debuts Thursday!
Next Thursday (June 8), the first Nations Cup in the history of polo will start.
Four federations, the American Polo Association, the Korean Polo Federation (South Korea), Deutscher Polo Verband EV (Germany), and the French Polo Federation have lent their support to this French initiative, and they have delegated eight teams for this first edition. .
Germany has identified two teams that will play under the colors of Bavaria and the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, and the United States will be represented by Illinois, California and France by Normandy, the PACA region and Hauts de France. The more “exotic” commitment of KFP (Korea) is part of the approach to developing polo in this country. A program has been put in place that specifically encourages the initiation and practice of the sport in secondary schools and universities supervised by British and New Zealand coaches on the model long developed in the United States. The team chosen for Chantilly, sponsored by Korean companies, is the ambassador of this Korean polo shirt and has prepared seriously for a few months by going to international tournaments in Spain, Sotogrande, Saint-Tropez, Argentina, the Philippines, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. More than winning, the aim at Chantilly, explains Steve Goh, president of the Korean Polo Federation, is to put Korea on the world polo map and create new connections: “We’re eager to make new friends on and off the field!
France’s fortunes are tripled with two teams based in Chantilly headed by two of the best French players and a handicap of 6: Pierre-Henri Ngomo (Normandy) and Brieuc Rigaud (Hautes-de-France). The PACA formation includes three young players who trained in Chantilly including Arena Polo World Champions, Louis Jarrige and Dorian Bulteau. After the preliminary stage where all teams will meet each other until Tuesday 13th June, the top 4 teams will face each other in the semi-finals on Friday 16th June and the finals will take place on Sunday at 12:00pm. (ranked third and fourth) and at 3:00 pm for the first grand final of the Polo Nations Cup. In Chantilly, access to matches – even those in the final stage – is free. Beyond sports, polo in Chantilly is an experience: discovering an Argentine atmosphere, matches during the week in a more intimate atmosphere before dusk (with a food cart), matches commented on by an Argentinian specialist who speaks French with a charming Latin accent. In addition, the day of the finals, June 18th for that: polo staging on wooden horses and a village that welcomes visitors with stalls of saddlery, Argentinian products and food carts
All matches will be broadcast live on PoloLine
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