27th St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow will go ahead
St. Moritz, 4 October 2010 – The St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow can be held on the frozen Lake St. Moritz from 27 to 30 January 2011. Back in June, a few months ahead of the tournament, organiser St. Moritz Polo AG had considered itself bound to cancel the event. Now all interested parties have mutually agreed a solution. The local authority in St. Moritz has pledged its support for the most important polo tournament on snow.
Together the interested parties – the local authority in St. Moritz, the White Turf Racing Association (WTRA) and St. Moritz Polo AG – reviewed the basic regulations and organisation of winter eventsLive on Lake St. Moritz. The outcome was a success. They have sunk their differences and jointly settled pending decisions on crucial matters of infrastructure. See-Infra, the association responsible for infrastructure on the lake, has now commenced operations and paved the way for the staging of this world famous polo tournament.
Local authority board approves tournament on lake
The Lake Commission, the body responsible for safety on the lake, examined the background paper, jointly submitted by the WTRA and St. Moritz Polo AG, concerning the site and the weight load of the planned infrastructure. The Commission, in turn, referred the paper to the local authority board. The board found that the submission did comply with the regulations governing the use of Lake St. Moritz. Accordingly, it has authorised the lake as a venue for winter sports eventsLive. Provided that an ice sheet of sufficient thickness and quality forms this winter, as in the past, and subject to inspection of the lake for load-related safety aspects by the Lake Commission and experts this January, all the conditions will be met for the 27th St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow to go ahead.
Reoriented tournament
The St. Moritz Polo World Cup on Snow will still be played as a high-goal tournament, polo’s highest category. Thus it will remain the world’s highest-level polo tournament on snow. Unlike previous editions, however, in 2011 patrons will represent their countries of origin as they compete for the coveted trophy. “We want to concentrate more on polo as a sport,” explains St. Moritz Polo AG’s Bernhard Poellinger. “It adds to the excitement if two nations play each other in each match, as at international matches. Here in St. Moritz, we welcome participants from all over the world. So we hope this reorientation will bring us long-term success. Exciting matches, in turn, offer an attractive platform for sponsors.” A Swiss team is already definitely competing in the World Cup.