Prestigious “Sport of Kings” spectacle from February 15 to 20, 2011
with Alpine village and ice sculptures to be backdrop
(Tianjin, China December 7, 2010) – Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club (“Metropolitan Polo Club”), a prestigious polo club with the largest facilities in China, opened on 4th November 2010, with its inaugural tournament “Goldin Cup”, will be hosting Asia’s first ‘Snow Polo’ tournament from February 15 to 20, 2011, following the Chinese New Year holidays.
“Metropolitan International Snow Polo Challenge Tournament”, Asia’s first snow polo will be a competition between six teams from the world’s leading polo playing nations: England, France, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and China.
Two matches will be played daily in a league format, 14 goal open, during the week-long event.
Snow polo originated in the Swiss winter resort of St. Moritz in 1985 and is considered the pinnacle of the polo sport for its spectacle. The game is contested by three players on each side with an orange ball slightly bigger than is traditionally played on grass.
This prestigious international event will be played on China’s newest and largest polo field, with an array of family fun and sports excitement, against a backdrop representing an Alpine village, featuring a winter wonderland of ice sculptures.
As Tianjin’s most exclusive members-only club, the star-studded guest list will include international and Chinese officials and celebrities.
The tournament winners will take home a trophy made by Asprey, the famed bespoke jewellers to Britain’s royal family.
Metropolitan Polo Club’s first tournament, the inaugural ‘Goldin Cup’, was contested by international professional players from England, Australia and New Zealand. The home team won by scores of 6:3 against the visiting team.
The opening was celebrated by local and overseas officials and dignities, including the Mayor of Tianjin Huang Xing Guo; Robert Mundell, Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics; Peter Yunghanns of the Federation of International Polo and Nicholas Colquhoun Denvers, Chairman of the Hurlingham Polo Association.
The professional international management team at Metropolitan Polo Club is headed by Paul Stevens, General Manager, former manager of Guards Polo Club, England. With him in the team are Derek Reid, Head Polo Professional, former Australian polo captain, and John Fisher, Director of Stable Operations, former England player, whose home club is Cowdray Park, England.
Metropolitan Polo Club is the flagship venue for the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan mega-project, which also incorporates residential buildings and villas, office towers, shopping and convention centres.
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About Metropolitan Polo Club
Metropolitan Polo Club, the most prestigious polo club with the largest facilities in China, features two international-sized polo fields, stabling for 150 horses, training facilities, riding school and the luxurious club hotel Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Hotel, all supervised by a team of professional international managers.
Metropolitan Polo Club hosts major international fixtures including the Snow Polo Cup, the Ambassador’s Cup and the Charity Cup.
It was opened in November 2010 by Hong Kong-listed developer Goldin Properties Holdings Limited as the sporting and social flagship of the “Goldin Metropolitan” mega-development incorporating world-class office, luxury residential buildings, villas, upscale stores and recreation facilities.
For more information, please visit www.metropolitanpoloclub.com or www.goldinmetropolitanhotel.com.