Her Highness Sheikha Maitha Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Participates in First UAE Ladies Polo Tournament

Her Highness Sheikha Maitha Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Participates in First UAE Ladies Polo Tournament Hosted by Ralph Lauren

Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Maitha Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the first UAE Ladies Polo Tournament will be hosted by Ralph Lauren Corporation in conjunction with Dubai Cares at Desert Palm in Dubai beginning December 10 – 13, 2013.

Led by HH Sheikha Maitha, who will captain Team UAE, the tournament will be the first ladies-only event ever held in Dubai. The competition highlights the growing participation of females playing professional sports in the United Arab Emirates.

“The Ralph Lauren International Ladies Polo Tournament represents a significant achievement for both the UAE and for women across the region,” said HH Sheikha Maitha. “Polo has long been associated as being a tough game, however, the first ever ladies polo tournament allows women to cement their footprints in this sport. It gives me great honor to participate in this pioneering event and to blaze a path for women in the world of polo.”

As part of the partnership, polo players from the four competing teams will be outfitted in Ralph Lauren designed polo mesh shirts in a color palette of bright orange, pink, lime green and white. The limited-edition shirts for both men and women will be available exclusively in Ralph Lauren stores in Dubai and Abu-Dhabi beginning December 9th. Twenty percent of all proceeds made from sales of these limited-edition tournament mesh polo shirts will benefit Dubai Cares, a UAE-based philanthropic organization that aims to improve children’s access to quality primary education in developing countries.

The remaining three teams, Team Asia and two teams for Europe, consist of some of the highest handicapped female polo players across the globe. Team Asia will be captained by Ploy Bhinsaeng, Thailand’s premier female polo player and Lady Polo Asia Ambassador. Team Europe 1 will be captained by Princess Anna Oettingen-Wallerstein, founder of the Girls Only tournament and Team Europe 2 captained by Katerina Zeka Dombiova, one of the brightest female polo players from the Czech Republic. US’s best ranking female polo player, Sunny Hale will be playing alongside Ploy for Team Asia with France’s Christine Thome playing for Team Europe 1.

“We are incredibly thankful for the participation of Her Highness Sheikha Maitha and Dubai Cares in supporting this prestigious event,” said David Lauren, Executive Vice President of Advertising, Marketing and Corporate Communications at Ralph Lauren. “This partnership reinforces the brand’s leadership in major sporting eventsLive and our dedication to supporting the game of polo.”

Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer, Dubai Cares said: “We are grateful to Her Highness Sheikha Maitha for her philanthropic efforts and selecting Dubai Cares to be part of this unique event. Sheikha Maitha has been an ambassador of Dubai Cares ever since its launch and took part in various activities such as travelling to one of our programs in Sudan. We are also pleased to work with Ralph Lauren on this prestigious event. Dubai Cares boasts a wide range of innovative partnerships that aim to alleviate the grip of poverty that spans generations. If not properly addressed, poverty can be an endless cycle. Through quality primary education, we work to break this cycle and fulfill every child’s right to an education.”