BUCHAREST, Romania, October 9, 2024---Grand Champions Polo Club will add another page to its history books when it competes in the first-ever international polo tournament in Romania this weekend.
By Sharon Robb
Photos by Candace Ferreira
The Singureni Polo Sports Club Association and World Polo will host the inaugural Arena Singureni Polo Cup.
In front of an expected sellout crowd, the historic event begins Friday and runs through Sunday in a specially-constructed arena at Singureni Manor Equestrian Retreat, a resort nestled within a 700-acre oak and acacia forest in Giurgiu County, just 40 kilometers outside of Bucharest.
Team Grand Champions Polo Club and Team Falcons Malta (Maltese Falcons) features players from Grand Champions Polo Club. Team Maltese Falcons's roster is Melissa Ganzi, 5-goaler Nacho Figueras and 7-goaler Alejandro Novillo Astrada. Team Grand Champions Polo Club lineup is 3-goaler Grant Ganzi, Daren Tamplin and 8-goaler Nic Roldan.
The other two teams are Switzerland, Team St. Moritz Top of the World (Massimo Baggi/Daniel Savary, 1, Pierre Henri Ngoumou, 7, Nick Rogerson, 3) and Team Azerbaijan Land of Fire (Elchin Jamalli, 3, Tarlan Gurbanaliyev, 1, Juan Cruz Losada, 7).
On Friday, Team St. Moritz Top of the World plays Team Grand Champions Polo Club. In the second game, Team Azerbaijan Land Of Fire takes on Team Maltese Falcons. On Saturday, in the opening game Team Maltese Falcons meets St. Moritz Top of the World followed by Team Grand Champions Polo Club USA against Team Azerbaijan.
On Sunday, the first game will feature teams playing for third and fourth places followed by the championship game. Thirty-two polo horses from France are being brought in for the event.
"We have brought polo to impressive locations with perfect organization and wonderful people," said event creator Reto Gaudenzi, Founder of World Polo. "Each tournament is an opportunity to celebrate the elegance and tradition of this noble sport."
Gaudenzi said World Polo has a rich history of discovering new, often unconventional locations for organizing international Polo competitions.
"This is how the Snow polo tournament in St. Moritz and Beach polo tournament in Dubai were born, for example," Gaudenzi said. "And now, we are laying the foundation for an international Arena polo competition in Romania, at Singureni Manor Equestrian Retreat, a place I fell in love with the first time I visited.
"Polo is more than a sport, it is an entire universe that, over the years, has given rise to specific codes of conduct, dedicated clothing lines, and even specially-designed watches to support the players. I am confident that Romania will discover and fall in love with this sport.”
Romania's Singureni Polo Sports Club Association also started its first polo school. Before the main arena competition, polo lessons are offered by the Singureni Manor Equestrian Retreat. World-class players Pierre-Henri N’Goumou and Manuel Carranza will provide an introduction to polo.
"Although it is one of the oldest sports in the world, horse polo has not yet developed a tradition in Romania," said Cristina Roșu, Founder of the Singureni Polo Sports Club Association.
"This is how the Singureni Polo Sports Club Association came to be, out of our desire to establish this sport in the country and to gradually and consistently build the passion for the game and the rich history and culture surrounding it.
"We are starting with the organization of a large-scale international competition, but in parallel, we are preparing a series of programs to train athletes who wish to practice polo but have not yet had the opportunity to pursue their passion.
"And most importantly, we are not alone in this endeavor. We have alongside us experienced professionals who understand, love, and respect this sport as much as we do: World Polo."
Grand Champions and Santa Rita Polo Farm is the largest and most unique private 102-acre polo facility in Wellington with 212 stalls in nine self-contained barns, two tracks, five climate-controlled tack rooms, vet room, staff quarters, guest house and four polo fields with state-of-the-art underground irrigation and short work arena. The club has 11 well-manicured world-class fields at GCPC and Santa Rita.
Grand Champions Polo Club caters to men, women and youth polo players at all levels. Its' expert staff can customize a complete playing experience including horses, pros and certified umpires in addition to lessons and practice sessions as part of its' Polo On Demand program. The Polo School is for all ages and ability levels and operates in Wellington year-round.