WELLINGTON, FL, Apr 23, 2024 - (ACN Newswire) - The 2024 U.S. Open Polo Championship® has officially closed out the American high-goal polo season at the USPA National Polo Center (NPC), the sport's premier destination. The historic tournament was played from March 22 to April 21 and ended with a thrilling win by La Dolfina over Valiente in a score of 10-7 in front of a record crowd.
The U.S. Open Polo Championship is universally considered the most prestigious tournament in the United States and showcases some of the world's best polo players and equine athletes. The sport-inspired U.S. Polo Assn. brand supported the historic U.S. Open Polo Championship by co-branding jerseys for teams, elevating NPC staff uniforms, umpire outfitting, player prizes, and monetary donations to several charities.
Held at the U.S. Polo Assn. Stadium Field at NPC, the U.S. Open Polo Championship Final was played in front of a sold-out crowd and broadcast to a large global audience across multiple ESPN platforms. Event attendees watched the historic match from the sidelines, in stadium boxes, tailgate tents, the grandstands, or from the U.S. Polo Assn. MVP Lounge, home to the luxurious Sunday Polo Brunch. Sports fans at the tournament also had the opportunity to shop for Official U.S. Open Polo Championship Merchandise, sold exclusively on-site at the NPC Retail Shop.
The action-packed final game on Sunday, April 21, was fast-paced and filled with great plays from the world's best players on both teams, such as Alejandro Aznar, Poroto Cambiaso, Rufino Merlos, and Tomas Panelo on La Dolfina and Adolfo Cambiaso, Mariano ‘Peke' Gonzalez Jr., Paco de Narvaez Jr., and Joaquin ‘Pelo' Vilgre La Madrid on Valiente. For the first time, the rivalry between father Adolfo Cambiaso, on Valiente, and son Poroto Cambiaso, on La Dolfina, faced off in the U.S. Open Polo Championship, captivating spectators as they battled for victory. La Dolfina prevailed in the closing minutes of the 6th chukker, taking home the illustrious U.S. Open Polo Championship title and the highly coveted trophy for the first time in organization history. La Dolfina's goals were collectively scored by Poroto Cambiaso with three goals, his second appearance in the U.S. Open Polo Championship, Rufina Merlos with one goal during his tournament debut, and a team-high of six goals by Tomas Panelo during his first appearance in the tournament.
"Congratulations to La Dolfina on an incredibly well-fought victory in one of the sport's most historic tournaments, the U.S. Open Polo Championship. All teams throughout this tournament and others during the American high-goal season at the USPA National Polo Center are excellent examples of sportsmanship, teamwork, and dedication to the sport of polo," said Stewart Armstrong, Chairman of the United States Polo Association. "Thank you to all of our athletes, sponsors, and sports fans for making this another unforgettable season for the United States Polo Association."
Throughout the season, U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), has donated some $100,000 to polo charities and equine welfare, including the following organizations: Homes for Horses Coalition, Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame, Polo for Life, Polo Players Support Group, Polo Pony Rescue, Polo Training Foundation, Replay Polo, Retired Racehorse Project, St. Mary's Medical Center, Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, and Work to Ride Program.
"U.S. Polo Assn. is honored to once again support the U.S. Open Polo Championship and promote sports tourism in beautiful Palm Beach County through iconic tournaments held at the USPA National Polo Center and shown on ESPN platforms. This historic tournament is one of the top sporting events of the spring season, alongside NCAA Basketball, The Masters, and the Kentucky Derby," said J. Michael Prince, President and CEO of USPA Global, the company that manages the multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. "As another successful high-goal, American season is closed out, we look forward to next year and bringing the sport of polo to even more sports fans and consumers locally and around the world."
Relive the excitement by watching the broadcast of the U.S. Open Polo Championship on ESPN2 on Sunday, April 28, at 8:30 p.m. EDT, as well as on ESPNews and ESPN Deportes in the Spanish language. Check your local listing for air times.
About U.S. Polo Assn. and USPA Global
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), the governing body for the sport of polo in the United States and one of the country's oldest sports governing bodies, founded in 1890. With a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through more than 1,100 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores as well as thousands of additional points of distribution, U.S. Polo Assn. offers apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and children in more than 190 countries worldwide. A recent, multi-year deal with ESPN to broadcast several of the premier polo championships in the world, sponsored by U.S. Polo Assn., has made the thrilling sport accessible to millions of sports fans globally for the very first time.
U.S. Polo Assn. has consistently been named one of the top global sports licensors alongside the NFL, NBA, and MLB, according to License Global. In addition, the sport-inspired brand is being recognized around the world with awards for global growth, expansion, licensing, and digital growth. Due to its tremendous success as a global brand, particularly in the last five years, U.S. Polo Assn. has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, Modern Retail, and GQ as well as on Yahoo Finance and Bloomberg, among many other noteworthy media sources around the world.
For more information, visit uspoloassnglobal.com and follow @uspoloassn.
USPA Global is a subsidiary of the USPA and manages the global, multi-billion-dollar U.S. Polo Assn. brand. Through its subsidiary, Global Polo Entertainment (GPE), USPA Global also manages Global Polo TV, which provides sports and lifestyle content. For more sports content, visit globalpolo.com.
About the United States Polo Association® (USPA)
The United States Polo Association was organized and exists for the purposes of promoting the game of polo, coordinating the activities of its Member Clubs and Registered Players, arranging and supervising polo tournaments, competitions, and games, and providing rules, handicaps, and conditions for those tournaments, competitions, and games, including the safety and welfare of participants and mounts. Founded in 1890, the USPA is the national governing body for the sport of polo. The USPA is currently comprised of almost 200 member clubs with thousands of individual members and oversees 40 national tournaments. For more information, please visit uspolo.org.
Contact Information
Stacey Kovalsky
VP Global PR and Communications
skovalsky@uspagl.com
+001.561.790.8036
Shannon Stilson
VP, Sports Marketing & Media
sstilson@uspagl.com
+001.561.227.6994
SOURCE: USPA Global Licensing Inc.
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