The Dubai Open celebrates its tenth anniversary as the region’s largest polo tournament
The Julius Baer Gold Cup, the region’s largest polo tournament, returns for another year under the Patronage of HH Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. The live draw for the Julius Baer Gold Cup 2019 fixture was held on 10 February 2019 at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, the home ground of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup (DPGC) Series.
The Gold Cup (Dubai Open) now in its tenth year, is one of the five mid to high-goal tournaments that fall under the umbrella of the DPGC Series. It has grown in parallel with the city of Dubai and is the only tournament in the United Arab Emirates (along with the Dubai Challenge Cup and the Dubai Silver Cup, also part of the DPGC Series) to be certified by the World Polo Tour (WPT) since 2012.
The Gold Cup is part of the WPT Championship Cup which is considered as the highest competition in terms of points and awards 80 points to its winners, 40 points to the finalists, 25 points to the semi-finalists and 10 points to all other participating players. Only four other tournaments in the world are competed in this category under the WPT. The Dubai Open is played under the banner of the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) with tournaments being played under strict international supervision according to the HPA rules and provision of its umpires.
The tournament has received tremendous support from its title sponsor since 2014 - Julius Baer, a leading Swiss private banking group with presence in all major financial centres including Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Milan, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo. The Julius Baer Gold Cup 2019 will officially kick off on Monday 18 February 2019 with eight teams competing until Friday 8 March for the prestigious title and trophy.
Mohammed K. Al Habtoor, Vice Chairman & CEO of Al Habtoor Group, Founder of the DPGC Series and Patron of Habtoor Polo team was joined for the live draw by Régis Burger, Head Middle East, Julius Baer (Middle East) Ltd., Trevor Weller, Prestige Director, Al Habtoor Motors (Bentley Emirates), and Santiago Torreguitar, Tournament Director of the Emirates Polo Association.
Al Habtoor said, “As a team patron and a polo enthusiast, I am excited to have eight strong teams with remarkable top-ranking players join us for the Julius Baer Gold Cup this season. As we celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Gold Cup tournament, I take this opportunity to thank of our patrons, sponsors, players and polo enthusiasts and the city of Dubai. Without their support this milestone would not have been possible.”
Régis Burger, Head Middle East, Julius Baer (Middle East) Ltd. said, “During our presence in the region for the past 15 years, we have sought forward-thinking partnerships that stand out within the Middle-Eastern region and the Julius Baer Gold Cup is one of them. Polo has been identified as one of the pillars in our sponsorship strategy as it provides a platform to connect with our clients and add value. The game of polo is one that mirrors fundamental attributes that are in in line with Julius Baer’s corporate philosophy, as it symbolises tradition, team spirit, and encompasses an innovative spirit: values that we have embodied since our inception. We are proud to continue our association with what has now become the leading polo competition in the Middle East and wish all competing teams the best of luck.”
Participating Teams include:
Abu Dhabi Polo Team (Patron: Faris Al Yabhouni)
Desert Palm Polo Team (Patron: Rashid Albwardy)
Dubai Wolves (Patron: Habtoor Al Habtoor)
Ghantoot Polo Team (Patron: HH Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan)
Habtoor Polo Team (Patron: Mohammed K. Al Habtoor)
Mahra Polo Team (Patron: Rashid Al Habtoor)
UAE Polo Team (Patron: HH Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum)
Zedan Polo Team (Patron: Amr Zedan)
JULIUS BAER GOLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY
Tuesday, February 19 | 2PM
Photos courtesy Al Habtoor Polo Club and Resort
ABOUT DUBAI POLO GOLD CUP SERIES
The Dubai Polo Gold Cup (DPGC) Series was founded in 2009 by Mohammed K. Al Habtoor, patron of Habtoor Polo team. Year on year, the tournament has reached new heights. In 2012, the Gold Cup was recognized by the World Polo Tour (WPT), and in January 2014 the WPT committee credited the Gold Cup tournament as being the highest competition in terms of points within the WPT Challenge Cup category, elevating it to 50 points for the winner. 2015 marked the first time that the WPT upgraded the Gold Cup tournament from ‘Challenge Cup’ to the highly coveted ‘WPT Cup’, resulting in winners received 60 points.
In 2017 the tournament was moved up to WPT Championship Cup – the highest competition in terms of points, awarding its winners with 80 points. The Silver Cup and the Dubai Challenge Cup are ranked under the ‘WPT Challenge Cup’ category – with winners receiving 50 and 20 points respectively. The DPGC Series is proud to be the only tournament series with this exclusive accreditation in the GCC and MENA Region, ranking it among the best polo tournaments worldwide.
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