The third edition of the Italia Polo Challenge Cortina 2022 is scheduled to kick off on Wednesday, January 5, as snow polo makes a comeback in a breathtaking destination. The tournament will see four teams battle it out for the title. A traditional horse parade will precede the action. The final is set to be played on Saturday, January 8. 

The players will taje part in the horse parade through the Corso Italia. This will be followed by the presentation of the teams in the Conchiglia di Piazza Dibona, which will include a cocktail in the Hotel de la Poste.

The league stage of the tournament will be played on Thursday, January 6, and Friday, January 7. The winners of these matches will determine the finalists.

The organising committee of the Italia Polo Challenge Cortina 2022 is composed of the representative of the Polo Department of the Federazione Italiana Sport Equestri (FISE), Patricio Rattagan, and the Cortina d’Ampezzo Community. 

“The year 2021 has been such an incredible year, not only for Italian polo but for Italian sports as a whole,” shared the Presidente of the FISE, Marco Di Paola. “The two gold medals claimed by our national teams in the European Championship had an incredible impact on our players, the fans, and the professionals. Due to these remarkable achievements, snow polo is back after the Christmas break in the splendid landscape of Cortina d’Ampezzo.”

The teams set to participate in the Italia Polo Challenge Cortina 2022 are Hotel de la Poste, U.S. Polo Assn., Battistoni, and Goldspan. The lineups include players from Argentina, France, Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland and Italy.

Stefano Giansanti and Therence Cusmano, members of the Italian Team that claimed the European Championship in Sotogrande last September, are among the local players competing in the tournament. 

The Italia Polo Challenge Cortina 2022 forms part of an attractive circuit played throughout the year in spectacular destinations over Italy, such as Cortina d’Ampezzo, Piazza di Siena, in Roma and Porto Cervo. 

ITALIA POLO CHALLENGE CORTINA 2022 – TEAMS:

HOTEL DE LA POSTE: Felix Beguerie, Therence Cusmano, Martin Magal.

U.S. POLO ASSN.: Patrick Maleitzke, Clement Delfosse, Daniel Deistler.

BATTISTONI: Patricio Rattagan, Sasha Hauptmann, Stefano Giansanti.

GOLDSPAN: Valentin Novillo Astrada, Pablo Guiñazú, Bert Poeckes.