The first two matches of the AlUla Desert Polo tournament are set to played this afternoon (Friday), at the purpose-built Desert Arena in the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage site of AlUla, in Saudi Arabia. AlUla Desert Polo is the first event hosted by the Saudi Polo Federation, which was formed in July 2018.
The four superstar players that compose La Dolfina – 10-goalers Adolfo Cambiaso, Pelon Stirling, Pablo Mac Donough and Juan Martín Nero – will be joined by six-goaler Nacho Figueras, to play the first ever AlUla Desert Polo competition.
The first match, scheduled to start at 4:15pm, will see Team AlUla, led by Cambiaso, take on Team Al Nahla Bentley, led by Uruguayan David Stirling, while the second match of the evening will see Mac Donough’s Richard Mille face Amaala, fronted by Figueras.
Saudi Polo Federation Chairman Amr F Zedan, who is also patron of Zedan Polo Team, welcomed guests and players on Thursday evening, and suggested that the event at AlUla Desert Polo was just the beginning of greater things to come.
“I see this event as the launch pad for the type of development that we want to see here,” said Zedan. “We are committed to the growth of polo in Saudi Arabia and have the full support of our leadership to implement plans that will assist in nurturing our sport and driving participation from grassroots to elite levels.”
“AlUla Desert Polo, set in these beautiful and historic surroundings, is the perfect vehicle with which to raise the profile of polo in the country. It also demonstrates to our overseas guests here today, and those watching at home, that Saudi Arabia is serious about the growth of sport.”
AlUla Desert Polo is held as part of the Winter at Tantora festival hosted by the Royal Commission for AlUla, an organisation designed to protect and promote the historic and archeological sites of the area.
AlUla DESERT POLO – TEAMS:
AlUla Team:
1) HRH Prince Abbas bin Ali Bin Nayef
2) Mohammed Al Habtoor
3) Adolfo Cambiaso
Richard Mille Team:
1) HRH Prince Sultan Alfaisal
2) Amr Zedan
3) Pablo Mac Donough
Al Nahla Bentley Team:
1) Sheikha Alya Al Maktoum
2) Saad Audeh
3) Pelon Stirling
Amaala Team:
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.
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