The ‘Argentine Diplomats Polo Cup – Prague’, is the first ever international polo tournament organized under the auspices of the Embassy of the Argentine Republic in the Czech Republic as well as the City of Prague, and will take place in the Czech capital from Thursday, 26th June, to Saturday, 28th June.
Yesterday at 3pm was the kick-off of a unique three-day sports event in Prague – horse polo. As part of the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, this international polo tournament is held under the auspices of the Argentine Embassy and the City of Prague.
Open to the public, equestrian and sports enthusiasts as well as families are invited to attend the matches in CONSEQ Park Velka Chuchle. Special programmes have been prepared for Friday and Saturday to accommodate the interest of many, also children.
On Friday, 27th June, polo matches will start at 15:00 o’clock and an Argentine BBQ is prepared by la Casa Argentina for the hungry. The evening will be concluded with a concert by Santiago Ferreira and his band to add to the South American flavour of the tournament. Begin of the concert is at 18:30.
The tournament’s Grand Finals take place on Saturday from 11:30 am. The opening ceremony will take place from 12.00 with representatives of the Argentine Embassy as well as the City of Prague. Spectators will have the chance to watch high profile matches with professional players as well as amateurs. Additional horse shows, a tango performance, as well as a children’s corner by the charity Pink Crocodile with bouncy castle and pony riding are on offer. For those interested in giving polo a try a practice area is available for the brave. The VIP area is catered by Julius Meinl, and the general public area has food and drink stands available.
Four teams of four players with a team handicap of up to + 4 are registered to compete for this prestigious cup. The teams are sponsored by Enira Wines, Julius Meinl, Luxury Guide and Apartmány Medvědín.
Attendance on Thursday is free and tickets for Friday’s entry to the polo matches and the concert, as well as for Saturday’s finals cost per day 200 CZK pre-purchase and are available under: http://www.mticket.cz/event/353-diplomats-polo-cup–praha-?tab=1
It will also be possible to buy the tickets at the door on the day for 250 CZK. (Children under the age of 14 enter for free). Further information is available under: www.facebook.com/DiplomatsPoloCup as well as www.aviatorpoloclub.cz.
Polo originated in Persia 2000 years ago, but it was globally popularized by the British who brought it from Northern India. Today it is played internationally in 16 countries. Apart from Britain, polo is very popular in Argentina, some of the best players come from there. There is a growing interest in the sport in the Czech Republic too. How is polo played? Each team has four players who on their ponies use a mallet to drive a ball into the opposite goal. A game consists of four 7 minute chukkas, between or during which players change their ponies.
Our time schedule for Thursday:
14:00: Captains meeting
15:00: Start of Games (Enira vs Luxury)
16:30: Start of Games (Julius Meinl vs Apartmány Medvědín)
17:30: Finish of Games
Our time schedule for Friday:
15:00: Start of Games (Julius Meinl vs Luxury)
16:30: Start of Games (Enira vs Apartmány Medvědín)
16:30: Start of BBQ by La Casa Argentina
17:45: Finish of Games
18:30: Start of Concert by Santiago Ferreira
20:00: Finish Concert
Our time schedule for Saturday:
11:30: Opening of Doors
12:00: Speeches by Head of Mission from Argentine Embassy and representative of the Council of the City of Prague
12:30: Start of Games (Apartmány Medvědín vs Luxury)
13:45: Pony show
14:30: Start Games (Enira vs Julius Meinl)
15:30: Dressage Show
15:45: Tango performance
16:00: Awards ceremony
Kids corner with pony riding, bouncy castle and much more.
