Great expectations

Opposite The jaw-dropping scenery surrounding Santiago’s Club de Polo y Equitación San Cristobal This page The Chilean team practise for the World Cup at Club Ecuestra Calá Vicuña in Cachagua

From 24 to 29 March, national teams from Chile, Argentina, England, Brazil, Pakistan and the USA will take part in the 10th FIP World Polo Championships, which, for the first time since 1992, will be played in Santiago, Chile.

The Federation of International Polo confirmed the location of the tournament in early 2014, and, since then, Chile has worked tirelessly to produce what it hopes will be a world-class event. The first two teams to secure their places in this 14-goal contest were the host nation and defending champions Argentina. The remaining four participating countries gained the right to be present in the competition after winning their respective group play-offs.

The tournament will be played at Club de Polo y Equitación San Cristobal, in the centre of Santiago. Widely considered the best polo club in Chile – and the only one of its kind in the world – it consists of five polo fields, a clubhouse with full facilities and stabling for 800 ponies.

Alex Taylor, CEO of FIP, who attended the official launch of the tournament in November, says: ‘Chile has excellent facilities, and few places have that privilege. These spectacular fields are among the best internationally, making them perfect for the World Championships.’

The rules dictate that the host country must provide the horses for each team. Ponies are ranked in one of three categories – A, B or C – according to their skill. Tournament horse master José Maria Lartirigoyen manages the selection and grouping of the ponies. ‘Strings must be equal for all teams,’ he explains. ‘Classification is based on ability, and the best way to categorise a horse is to mount it and play some chukkas. Following this selection process, six strings are put together, then drawn by the teams, who have two days to try to get to know the horses before starting the official games.’

For the Chilean Federation of Polo, the World Championships are very different from those organised back in 1992. Since then, there has been a significant professionalisation of the game, and the demands now made by FIP are very different. Lionel Soffia, president of the Chilean Polo Federation, says: ‘The sport has changed and progressed a great deal since our first Championships in Chile. It’s a big challenge.’

Something that gives more prominence to this year’s event is that all the teams taking part have previously won. Argentina triumphed in the final in 1987, 1992, 1998 and 2011; Brazil came first in 1995, 2001 and 2004; the USA won in 1989; and Chile were winners in 2008. Private sponsorship plays a key role in making this momentous occasion possible, and it has been confirmed that the top companies involved include presenting sponsor Land Rover, official sponsors Julius Baer and Rosen, official supplier La Martina, and Radisson Hotels, which will host all the teams during their stay in Chile. Mention should also be made of the support of the Chilean government, the Federation of International Polo, Club de Polo y Equitación San Cristobal and the Chilean Federation of Polo.

The first city to host the World Championships for a second time, Santiago has many sites of interest for the visiting teams, as well as a thriving nightlife, luxury hotels and a variety of excellent restaurants. Numerous vineyards surround the capital; and the beaches, colonial haçiendas and national parks in both the Andes and the Chilean Coast Range all make easy day trips.

Further afield, Chile’s extraordinary variety of natural wonders includes the driest desert in the world, the Altiplano; as well as many lakes, volcanoes, canals and glaciers. It’s a country of contrasting and overwhelming landscapes, and all of these places are situated within just a short flight of Santiago.

Everything is on target for the 10th FIP Polo World Championships 2015, and we hope to have high-level games, thousands in attendance and the kind of atmosphere you get only at big sporting events. Chile’s expectations are high and we hope everyone has a great tournament.