Arena Polo Demonstration at Longines Hong Kong Masters
This year polo will be returning to Hong Kong after an absence of 30 years. Thanks to their new official partner, the luxury brand Shanghai Tang, the international show jumping competition, the Longines Hong Kong Masters, will be opening its doors to another equine discipline: polo. Enjoying extensive media coverage, the Longines Masters hopes to shine a spotlight on polo and bring it in to the public eye, giving audiences a chance to discover and further understand the sport.
Accompanying the star horses on the international jumping circuit, eight horses from the Chantilly Polo Club will be flown over to take part in an arena polo demonstration tournament: the Shanghai Tang Polo Cup, taking place between 19 – 21 February. In this more ‘packagable’ version of polo, two player teams from three different continents will battle it out in fast-paced and dynamic matches, made up of four, four-minute chukkas. Simplified rules will make the matches more accessible to a wider, thrill- seeking public that has never watched polo before.
Flying in to Hong Kong to take part in this new spectacle are talented professionals from all over the world: French number 1, 6 goaler, Brieuc Rigaux, the Australian 6 goaler, Dirk Gould, Great Britain’s Malcolm Borwick (6 goaler) and Nico Curto, the Argentine 5 goaler.
The Longines Masters arena will also be open to local players, who will be able to participate in a penalty shoot-out to qualify to play alongside the professional players. Introductory polo sessions with wooden horses and small foot mallets will be run for children as well as adults throughout the weekend, bringing polo to all ages and experience levels.
Photograph: Gucci Masters (now called the Longines Masters) of Paris 2013. By Antoine Delacorte
This year polo will be returning to Hong Kong after an absence of 30 years. Thanks to their new official partner, the luxury brand Shanghai Tang, the international show jumping competition, the Longines Hong Kong Masters, will be opening its doors to another equine discipline: polo. Enjoying extensive media coverage, the Longines Masters hopes to shine a spotlight on polo and bring it in to the public eye, giving audiences a chance to discover and further understand the sport.
Accompanying the star horses on the international jumping circuit, eight horses from the Chantilly Polo Club will be flown over to take part in an arena polo demonstration tournament: the Shanghai Tang Polo Cup, taking place between 19 – 21 February. In this more ‘packagable’ version of polo, two player teams from three different continents will battle it out in fast-paced and dynamic matches, made up of four, four-minute chukkas. Simplified rules will make the matches more accessible to a wider, thrill- seeking public that has never watched polo before.
Flying in to Hong Kong to take part in this new spectacle are talented professionals from all over the world: French number 1, 6 goaler, Brieuc Rigaux, the Australian 6 goaler, Dirk Gould, Great Britain’s Malcolm Borwick (6 goaler) and Nico Curto, the Argentine 5 goaler.
The Longines Masters arena will also be open to local players, who will be able to participate in a penalty shoot-out to qualify to play alongside the professional players. Introductory polo sessions with wooden horses and small foot mallets will be run for children as well as adults throughout the weekend, bringing polo to all ages and experience levels.
Photograph: Gucci Masters (now called the Longines Masters) of Paris 2013. By Antoine Delacorte
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