The Dewar’s Russian Polo Cup 2007 –
a new level in the development of polo in Russia.
The Final of the 2007 Dewar’s Russian Polo Cup took place with great success at the Russian Polo Club at Otrada, Moscow, on 8 July. The organisers of the event were Eventica, Underground PRO and the Russian Polo Club.
Four intrepid teams – DEWAR’S, VELVET, RADIO 7 and SOCHI 2014 – battled it out during the day for the title of 2007 Champion, making for a day of intense sporting excitement. Title Partner of the event was Dewar’s, the premium Scotch blended whisky, which has a proud history of support of equestrian sporting events, and which has, in its second year of association with the Russian Polo Cup, already achieved spectacular results in developing the growth of polo in Russia.
Now in its fifth jubilee year, the Dewar’s Russian Polo Cup was played on a stunning professional polo field – the home ground of the Russian Polo Club at Otrada Equestrian Centre outside Moscow. Conditions for the Final on 8 July were ideal for top-level polo matches, with the pitch offering a near perfect platform for the rigours of the game – and allowing a showcase of extremely high standards of play from the teams.
For the first time in the history of polo in Russia, spectators were treated to high-handicap games with professional players from around the polo world taking part. The world class referee, Augusto Romero, presided over the teams which included the likes of Argentineans Rodrigo Rueda, Marcos Araya and Alejandro Traverso – all holding 5 goal handicaps. The 21 year old Rodrigo Rueda was undoubtedly the most capped player, with successful performances in countless international tournaments under his belt, including those in Britain, USA and Argentina. In the Dewar’s Russian Polo Cup 2007, Rodrigo played for the Dewar’s team.
The Dewar’s Russian Polo Cup 2007 was launched by a press conference featuring the founder and president of the Russian Polo Club, Victor Huaco, Eventica representative Timon Afinsky and Alexander Perepelkin, representing Dewar’s parent company in Russia, Bacardi Rus. Following a lavish cocktail reception, the 800-strong crowd of guests and spectators settled to watch the first match, between the Sochi 2014 and Velvet teams, who were competing for third place. After a tightly fought four chukkas, Sochi 2014, in a celebratory mood following the magnificent Winter Olympics bid victory, beat Velvet by 8 goals to 7.
Following a sumptuous VIP lunch in the banqueting marquee beside the pitch, the culminating game of the day took place as Dewar’s and Radio 7 took to the polo field to fight for championship glory. The combined efforts of the Rodzianko family (Alexis, Alesha and Tasya) alongside the highly accomplished Traverso brothers from Argentina ensured ultimate victory for Radio 7, by 8 goals to 1.
The Dewar’s Polo Best Player Award went to Sochi 2014’s Marcos Araya, who received a collectors Limited Edition bottle of Dewar’s Signature whisky.
Polo is, of course, not just about watching the so-called ‘sport of kings’ – it is also a social highlight of the summer season, and the entertainment and networking element of the Dewar’s Russian Polo Cup took centre stage at the event. Amongst the many hundreds of guests at the event were VIP members from government and business, from the arts and the media. Notable attendees included: Dmitri Peskov, First Deputy Press Secretary to the President of the Russian Federation; Igor Konkov, senior advisor to the Minister of Economic Development & Trade; Sergei Filin, Principal Dancer, Bolshoi Ballet; Sam Klebanov, TV Presenter; Irina Chaschina, World gymnastics champion; Maxim Pokrovsky, musician; Igor Butman, saxophonist; Irian Kudrina, Director, Northern Crown Foundation; Irina Potekhina, Head of PR, AFK Sistema; Svetlana Ganeeva, Director, Investment Policy, Ministry of Economic Development & Trade; Andrei Boyko, Owner, Burevestnik Group; Vagan Amichba, Vice President, Troika Dialog; Andrei Dontsov, Partner, Clifford Chance; Natalia Kirpicheva, General Director, MIEL-Brokerage; Georges Polinski, President, Europa Media Group; Regina von Flemming, General Director, Axel Springer Russia; and Demyan Kudriavtsev, General Director, Kommersant.
Sponsors at the event, in addition to Dewar’s, the Title Partner, were Aston Martin, who displayed the stunning V8 and iconic DB9 models beside their corporate marquee at the event; Burevestnik Group, MIEL-Brokerage, and Velvet, the top-end aviation company, boasting a fleet of club class business jets.
