Verbier Polo Cup 2009 - Hurlingham Polo

Verbier PoloCup

January 30, 2009

For theFirst Time In its History, Verbier Took its Place In the The Elite Snow PoloCalender of

Switzerland,Four Nations Competed for the Verbier Polo Cup 2009 – After An UndisputedSuccess, A 2nd Event will take place next year !

3days of Intense Competition and a Victory for France

Forthree days earlier this month, Verbier hosted the Verbier Polo Cup 2009, – aSnow Polo Arena Tournament. For the occasion, the tennis courts of the VerbierSport Centre were converted into a polo arena of 40×80 metres where. 4international teams of 2 players fought for victory. Each of the 6 matches,played by night and by day, were very close and highly competitive, providinggreat excitement for the large crowd of spectators.

Tobest showcase the young, athletic, and international face of polo, theorganizers called in teams from Argentina,France, Switzerland and England that consisted only ofyoung professionals or semiprofessionals.. Each team was named after one of the4 main sponsors of the event; the Coconut Club (a well known Verbier nightclub), Giroud Vins (a famous vineyard of the Valais region), Infiniti (the high-endbrand of Nissan) and EFG Bank (a private bank, with a strong tradition inpolo).

Wellsupported by David Amar, Clément Delfosse (French Champion 2005 and European Champion2002) led the French team ( Team Infiniti) to victory. In the final, the twoyoung Frenchmen dominated England(Team Giroud Vins) throughout, resulting in a final score of 12 – 7 . « We werea little luckier than them « modestly explained Clément Delfosse who, as allhis fellow polo players enjoyed the experience enormously « It is much more physicalthan grass polo. The snow is deep. The players, as well as the horses, have tofight more, it is more tirering but more fun. We have less pressure than duringthe grass season. It is really a pleasure! «. Clément Delfosse plays mainly in Paris and in the South ofFrance. The precision of its hits and his breathtaking volleys were the key tothis success. « I also skied yesterday, so it was perfect, two activities whichI love, really an immense pleasure! « added the English finalist James Whitewho discovered polo on snow for the first time. « We trained a little in arenabefore coming».

Argentina(Team Coco Club) beat Switzerland(Team EFG Bank) 5 – 3 in the semi final.

Alexisde Boismenu, who also took part in the exhibition matches held last year, wasdelighted with his return to Verbier. « It’s always a pleasure, it is amagnificent resort and the organization is impeccable! «. The Swiss brothersSimon and Martin Luginbühl, involved in the organization of the tournament,were a little disappointed to have missed out on the podium. But Simon was inintense preparation for exams and Martin was suffering from tendinitis in thearm.

Toprepare for this tournament, the 8 players were able to get used to theirhorses during two days of training in the Polo Club of Veytay. 32 polo ponieswere transported to Verbier and accommodated in a big, heated tent next to thematch ground.

Agreat evolution

Lastyear, the organizers held an exhibition of snow polo matches . The feedback wasso positive that they went forward to host the Verbier Polo Cup 2009 tournamentwith the blessing of the local authorities. Sponsors were needed, and whilstthe economic crisis did not help, the ‘snowball’ effect worked. « We found apartner, who then attracted another and so on « explains Martin Luginbühl, amember of the steering committee which widened this year to include MichelDarioly, organizer of the well known horse showjumping competitions of Verbier,Crans-Montana and Sion. « The president of the event Mike Hornung asked me tojoin them. I wanted to build something big at once « adds Michel Darioly whoput his knowledge and his contacts at the disposal of the snow polo committee.

Thebudget increased from100’000 to more than 250’000 Swiss francs. Theinfrastructure was completely revised to improve the expereince of the publicand sponsors. Visitors were also able to take advantage of heated tents, a vastbar-lounge and a small village of stands. « From the start of building to theend of dismantling, 17 workdays were needed an average of 7 people on siteevery day « clarifies Michel Darioly. The number of teams doubled and the levelof the game was raised. Other attractions included a team parade on horsebackin the resort on Saturday afternoon. It certainly managed to surprise the passers-by!A range of different exhibitions related to horses and various aspects ofequitation completed the program of this year’s Verbier Polo Cup. Spectatorscould enjoy watching famous riders competing in a polo match exhibition, ajumping competition over progressively difficult obtstacles ( won by the younginhabitants of Valais Mélissa Darioly and Hélène Kessler), and demonstrationsof pony games, ski-joering, free training and the acrobat-paragliders Mike andStuart Belbas who delivered the match balls by air traffics.

AGreat Response and a Promising Future

Theinitial response to the Verbier Polo Cup 2009 is very positive and encouragingfor its long term future. According to the organizers, 5’000 people visited thetournament. The atmosphere was relaxed and enthusiastic « We had manyspectators and lots of fun we are very happy « explains a delighted MartinLuginbühl. « This event is an undeniably popular success. Locals and storekeeperstold me they had been amazed to see how big the event had become. Manyspectators came from abroad. That also allowed to give anotherimage of polo,too often considered as very exclusive and traditonal. We really wanted to granta free access to the tournament « adds Michel Darioly who was also delighted tohave received compliments from the organizers of the renowned snow polotournaments held in Megève and Klosters.

Thepublic loved it! « It is really fantastic. I also have horses. To see this hereon the snow, is just amazing « said a spectator from London. « It’s really interesting, I likeseeing something different. But I have to say that ice hockey is faster « addeda Scotsman with a smile. « I like horses, my mother suggested I tried playingpolo « added a young girl from Geneva.

Afterthe success of this year’s tournament, the Verbier Polo Cup will continue nextyear in the same period (editor’s note: the date remains to be defined). « Wewant all eventsLive we organize to last for the duration. We do not want to dashinto a one-shot operation « explains Patric Messeiller, director ofVerbier-Bagnes Tourisme, delighted with the progress of this tournament. « Thesponsors are keen to go on next year « adds Yves Luginbühl, manager of the PoloClub of Veytay which was in charge of the sports element of the tournament.

Theorganizers already have plans to revise a few things for next year; theparking, the

accessto the event and improvement to the ground, too smooth this year because of theheavy snowfalls. « We also want to open tents and to add nets in front ofstands to get the spectators even closer to the game» explains Yves Luginbühl.In additon, the tournament could, next year, move closer to the heart of theresort and benefit from higher visibility and space.

Rendez-vousin 2010 for the next edition of the Verberi Polo Club!

FridayJanuary 30th

GiroudVins / England – EFG Bank / Switzerland 12 –8

Infiniti/ France – Coco Club / Argentina 7 – 5

SaturdayJanuary 31st

CocoClub / Argentina – GiroudVins / England 5 – 6

Infiniti/ France – EFG Bank / Switzerland 13 – 12

SundayFebruary 1st

Smallfinal; Coco Club / Argentinavs EFG Bank / Switzerland 8 – 5

Bigfinal; Infiniti / France – Giroud Vins / England 12 – 7

CocoClub / Argentina:

Alexisde Boismenu (Hp 4 in arena) and Mariano Lopez (Hp 4 in arena)

GiroudVins / England:

EdenOrmerod (Hp 5 in arena) and James White (Hp 2 in arena)

EFGBank / Switzerland:

SimonLuginbühl (Hp 3 in arena) and Martin Luginbühl (Hp 3 in arena)

Infiniti/ France :

ClémentDelfosse (Hp 4 in arena) and David Amar (Hp 3 in arena)

Contacts

Polo: Infrastructure: Welcome:

PoloClub de Veytay EcuriesMichel Darioly Verbier/BagnesTourisme

CH-1295Mies ManègeLes Ilôts Bureaude Verbier

Tél:+ 41 22 755 63 25 1920Martigny PlaceCentrale

Fax:+ 41 22 755 60 91 Tél: + 41 79 628 70 51 1936Verbier

info@poloclubdeveytay.ch ecuriedarioly@bluewin.ch Tél: +41 27 775 38 88

www.poloclubdeveytay.ch www.ecuriedarioly.ch Fax: +41 27 775 38 89

info@verbier.ch