Aon South Africa has stepped on board as headline sponsor of the Inanda International Polo, with the South Africa vs Argentina match taking place on Saturday 11 May 2019 at the Inanda, Sandton. The curtain raiser for the South Africa vs Argentina game is the Inanda Development Cup match featuring the freshest, novice polo talent battling it out.
The stakes on this year’s SA vs Argentina international match are high following the 2018 Inanda Invitational which saw the Inanda Club team defeat the acclaimed Argentine Coronel Suarez Polo Club team in a 90-minute thriller.
“The Aon Inanda International Polo Invitational is a great opportunity for Aon to put its support behind one of the most thrilling sporting events that puts both rider and horse to the test in terms of athletic capabilities and game strategy. Of great importance is the strong development component to this invitational which is focused on growing the sport in South Africa and young up and coming polo talent,” says Leo Morwe, Chief Human Resources Officer at Aon South Africa.
“The partnership with Inanda International Polo and the Inanda Development Cup mirrors Aon’s commitment to support and provide learning opportunities to the future leaders of tomorrow, as much as the Inanda Club is dedicated to developing the country’s most talented polo players. Aon’s sponsorships and CSI projects are broad-based in nature but fundamentally have an educational slant, from mentoring and educating children from disadvantaged communities, through to sports development,” explains Leo.
The game of polo has a rich and eclectic history and is widely known as the oldest equestrian game still in existence, today. The game owes its origins to Persia (Iran) in the 6th Century BC and was extensively played by nobility and royalty spanning centuries. The game slowly spread across the globe and was introduced into the Summer Olympics in 1900 for the first time. Today, Polo is played in over 15 countries on the African continent, being introduced to South Africa in the late 1940’s.
The Inanda Development Cup was a key factor for Aon in its sponsorship consideration. “We believe in empowering possibility in our communities and we’re determined to deliver long-term returns to stakeholders by maximising our value to society and being an organisation that does well by doing good,” concludes Leo.