sOr many humans in Spain, polo is that far sport that belonged to the aristocracy, royalty and celebrities. If we did lock him up once, it was in a movie or in an advertisement for a luxury watch. However, it is not necessary to go to Hollywood to see or learn more about a sport played by a select few, but it can be played in a more amateur way and even at the highest level.
In reality, Spain, specifically in Sotogrande, is one of the deepest “arenas” of the sport that made England known and one of the oldest in history. Since May, the most important events in the world have been organized in that city of Cadiz. Spain also achieved a historic milestone last year, declaring itself World Polo Champion for the first time despite the fact that it barely has 1,000 members. The team consisting of Nico Alvarez, Luis Domec, Nico Ruiz Genazzo and Pelayo BerazadeIn addition to Jaime Serra, she defeated the United States 11-10 in the final.
from today, The KE Sotogrande Cup is being held in Sotogrande, then there will be the Joseph McMicking Cup (June 1-11), the Spanish Open (June 15-25), the monument to founder Enrique Zóbel (June 29-July 9) and the Manuel Prado y Colon de Carvajal monument memorial, and as a culmination of the Sotogrande International Polo Championship, With a 52-year history, it is among the three most important in the world, between July 24 and August 26.
The origins of polo in Spain
The development of polo in Spain dates back to Zobel family During the 1960s, with the beginnings of Sotogrande. of Filipino descent, Enrique Zobel He builds the first polo field known as “La Playa”, thus starting in 1967 with this tradition. Yet it was his son Inigo Zobel Who, years later, completed his father’s project with Initiation Ayala Polo Club Until achieving what it is today, one of the best polo clubs in the world, whose legacy was collected by the granddaughter of the founder, Paula Zobel.
Courtesy of bernabeu fund, Where they say this country’s strings move, the Ayala Polo Club is not far behind. who is with you The Spanish Royal Family, to other members of an international nature such as Prince Harry, the Royal Family of Malaysia or the Royal Family of BruneiNot forgetting the presence of prominent personalities such as Naomi Campbell, Isabel Pressler, Nieves Alvarez or singer ShakiraThey have gone through what are considered the best courses in the world. “It is true that we have teams like the royal family from Brunei, another team from Dubai, and they are obviously business people. It is a meeting place, if there are other synergies in addition to polo… like everything in this life.” Antonio Alice, CEO of the Ayala Polo Club which will host all tournaments.
Sotogrande’s polo business
Every summer, Sotogrande receives a large number of visitors for the polo season. The world of polo is one of the great drivers of summer, as Antonio Alice admits. “There are 1,300 horses, more than 140 players, this year there will be 26 teams and that generates great economic traffic for everything these teams are asking for, a lot of service. They have come from the five continents and the arrival of polo. It is expected for what it generates.”
More than money, it is hard to play because of the infrastructure
Playing polo has its difficulties. The polo field is five football fieldsSo it is not easy to find a place and less on the territory of the municipality. In addition to Sotogrande, Madrid, Barcelona and Seville Are the other cities that host this sport. “More than being expensive, it is very ambitious because of the infrastructure it needs. With so few licenses, Spain has become world champions, which has a lot of advantages. Acquiring a horse is not easy, you need stables, which are not cheap, but you can rent fields and horses. can be practiced. There are players like Pelayo, the world champion, who had no family ties to polo but was from Sotogrande and stuck to horses and sports. As it happened with golf a few years ago.”
For each team with a high handicap, the highest level, each player per match can move ten horses, so For a match, up to 80 horses must be flown between the two teams, of four players each.. The animal is subjected to great stress and for this reason is spinning, always speaking of the highest level. Therefore, it must have an important stable.”
To get an idea, the captain of the team, who can also compete in the world of sailing, can invest up to two million euros to move his entire team to Sotogrande and cover all the expenses: accommodation for the staff and horses, I pay the auxiliary players … “Obviously the costs though are very variable, but for the high level they can be up to two million. The team consists of four or five players, the people who accompany them, the vans, the vets… In the same way, each team moves 30 or 40 people, but the low handicap is more amateurish and more accessible, ”comments Antonio.
agreement to resend
Sport exists and gains followers, especially if you succeed in making it popular. For this, television is still one of the most important channels, without forgetting now social networks. for this summer, The Ayala Polo Club has reached an agreement with Movistar Plus To broadcast ten matches of the international tournament. “There was a lot of hope in this deal. What does not appear on television does not exist and this may be the first step to give some clarity to the sport and in the face of the sponsors. Not all sponsors have to be luxury brands, polo is not just a luxury, there are many activities surrounding it. It is a very familiar activity and, in addition to the game, we organize various social activities around the pole. It’s a very familiar sport, there’s music shows, shopping areas… It’s all about watching the game but having fun all day long.” For the TV producer, no doubt, it’s also one of the big challenges because polo is one of the hardest sports to broadcast because The vastness of the field, which requires a good team and also important media.
Argentine domain
Spain is the world champion, but Argentina is dominant, which also acts as a homebrew. The Argentine court on the one hand, and the Argentine horse have a lot to do with polo breeding, although the tournaments are organized in a different way. Argentina is a bit of a show to promote and sell, but the players also dominate the circuit. Today, hundreds of low-profile polo clubs train, train and compete for the love of the sport.
It was British breeders who brought polo to Argentina at the end of the 19th century. A local custom that will eventually become one of the foci of this collective game. Today nearly 90% of the best polo players in the world are Argentines.
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