By Alejandra Ocampo
A new year has just started, and the World Polo Tour is ready to kick off the race in search of the best polo players in the world. It is expected a strong and competitve year for polo, and the ranking will feature many news.
As usual, the annual points will be reduced to a half on January 1. The changes for the upcoming year are already set, following the annual meeting of the WPT committee. It was decided that there will be five new tournaments and four are leaving. With regards to points, four tournaments will be awarded with more points and six will have less points. Some of them will change categories, as well.
This is what’s coming up for 2017:
New tournaments:
– Polo Challenge Silver Cup: WPT Challenge Cup
– Polo Challenge Gold Cup: WPT Challenge Cup
– Challenge Cup (Cowdray Park Polo Club): WPT Challenge Cup
– San Jorge Open (Club de Polo San Jorge): WPT Challenge Cup
– Thai Polo Argentina Cup (Thai Polo): WPT Challenge Cup
More points:
The Dubai Gold Cup will remain in the same category (WPT Cup). However, the tournament, that will make its debut at Al Habtoor Polo & Resort this year, will be awarded with more points: 80 (winner), 40 (runner up), 25 (semifinalists) and 10 (rest of the teams).
Other tournaments that will be awarded with more points are the Cote d’Azur Cup, at International Polo Club St. Tropez (30-15-5-2); the Open de Paris, at Polo de París (30-15-5-2); and the East Coast Open, at Greenwich Polo Club (80-40-25-10), that will remain in the same category (WPT Cup).
Less points:
Although the following tournaments will remain within their categories, these will be lowered in points: World Polo Cup on Snow, en St. Moritz; CV Whitney Cup, at International Polo Club Palm Beach; Silver Cup, at Santa María Polo Club; USPA National Cup, at Grand Champions Polo Club; and the Julio Novillo Astrada Cup, at La Aguada Polo Club. The Pacific Coast Open, at Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, is the exception: it will maintain the same points, but will low from WPT Cup to WPT Challenge Cup.
Tournament that will leave:
The Brazil Gold Cup, Diamond Cup, Americas Cup and Ellerstina Gold Cup are the tournaments that will leave the ranking.
Adolfo Cambiaso ended the year as the undisputed number 1. Now, as a new year has just started, everybody will speed up to reach him. So, welcome to a new and competitive year for polo!! The World Polo Tour is ready to go all over the world in search of the best. Stay tuned!
For more information: World Polo Tour