2017 Julius Baer Gold Cup makes its debut at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club
6 February 2017, DUBAI, UAE: Julius Baer, the leading Swiss private bank, inaugurated the 2017 Julius Baer Gold Cup (Dubai Open) during the press conference held today at The St. Regis Dubai at Al Habtoor City in the Astor Ballroom. The UAE’s premier polo tournament will take place between 18 February and 10 March, 2017. For the third consecutive time, Julius Baer is the title sponsor for the Dubai Gold Cup 2017, part of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series. The Swiss bank is also the team sponsor for Julius Baer Team by Habtoor. The highly-anticipated event will be held at its new home ground at the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, Dubai’s first luxury polo and equestrian community located in Dubailand.
Founder of Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series Mohammed Al Habtoor was joined by Cesar Ruiz Guinazu, Polo Director, Daniel Ph. Savary, Julius Baer’s Global Head of Middle East and Africa; Joe Rogan, Prestige Director, Al Habtoor Motors (Bentley Emirates); Shaz Peshimam, Senior Manager, Dubai and Northern Emirates for Emirates Airline; and Rainer Kern, Director of Communications from German watchmakers Moritz Grossmann - the official timekeeper of the tournament.
Highlighting the importance of the tournament on the sports agenda, a total of nine teams will vie for this year’s title, including UAE Polo Team led by Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. A live draw was conducted to determine the order of play, after which Cesar Ruiz, Polo Director of the Julius Baer Gold Cup, announced the tournament fixtures in the presence of sponsors, team patrons, players and the media.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, the Julius Baer Gold Cup (Dubai Open), an 18 goal handicap competition, is part of the Gold Cup Series. Played under HPA rules and in its eighth edition, the tournament is the highest handicapped tournament in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, ranking it among the best polo tournaments worldwide. The event has drawn over 20,000 visitors since its launch in 2010.
Mohammed Al Habtoor said, “This year we are more excited than ever about the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series as it is being played at its new, permanent home ground – the Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club. This world-class equestrian resort provides enviable facilities for competitors and spectators."
Daniel Ph. Savary, Global Head of Middle East and Africa at Bank Julius Baer said, “We are very excited to support this prestigious tournament that has firmly established itself as the foremost polo competition in the region. Polo perfectly embodies a commitment to exceptional quality and a heritage of excellence – values that we look to bring to our clients every day. We wish the competing teams all the success and a great show for the fans.”
Emirates airline, the official airline sponsor for the first time, said, “As the official partner and Airline of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series, we hope that together, we can support Dubai to become a first class destination for Polo enthusiasts around the world, and further reinforce Dubai’s reputation as a premier hub for equestrian sports and events.”
Joe Rogan, Prestige Director – Al Habtoor Motors commented, “This will be our sixth consecutive year that we have sponsored this prestigious event and we are very proud to do so, as we believe there is no partnership more synonymous with luxury and performance than the sport of Polo and the Bentley Brand. We find this event a great platform for our brand and the Gold Cup gives us a fantastic opportunity to engage with old and new customers.”
Matthew McCartin, SVP of Global Marketing, USPA Global Licensing Inc. said, “We are excited to participate as the official apparel supplier for the Julius Baer Gold Cup in Dubai and connect our licensees with polo in their respective markets. This allows us to bring polo full circle on a global spectrum, both brand and sport.”
Winners of the 2017 Julius Baer Gold Cup will be awarded with iconic timepieces worth half a million dirhams, while Subsidiary Cup winners will receive a Bentley car for the period of one month.
Participating teams:
· UAE Polo Team - Patron Her Highness Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
· Julius Baer Team by Habtoor - Patron Mohammed Al Habtoor
· Wolves Polo Team - Patron Habtoor Al Habtoor
· Mahra Polo - Patron Rashid Al Habtoor
· Bin Drai Polo Team - Patron Saeed Bin Drai
· Zedan Polo Team - Patron Amr Zedan
· Abu Dhabi Team - Patron Faris Al Yabhouni
· Desert Palm Team - Patron Tariq Albwardy
· Bangash Polo Team - Haider Bangash
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About The Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series
Founded by Mohammed Al Habtoor in 2009. Since inception the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series has grown from strength to strength. Today, it is ranked among the best polo tournaments in the world. Now an 18 goal handicap competition, it is the highest handicapped event in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. It was first recognized by the World Polo Tour (WPT) in 2012. Three years later the WPT upgraded the tournament from Challenge Cup to the highly coveted WPT Cup, providing winners with 80 points. In 2017 the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series moved to its new home ground - The Al Habtoor Polo Resort & Club, a state-of-the-art development devoted to equine sports.
GOLD CUP TITLE SPONSOR
Julius Baer
Julius Baer is the leading Swiss private banking group, with a focus on servicing and advising sophisticated private clients and a premium brand in global wealth management. At the end of December 2016, assets under management amounted to CHF 336 billion. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd., the renowned Swiss private bank with origins dating back to 1890, is the principal operating company of Julius Baer Group Ltd., whose shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: BAER) and are included in the Swiss Market Index (SMI), comprising the 20 largest and most liquid Swiss stocks.
Julius Baer employs a staff of over 6,000, including close to 1,400 relationship managers, and is present in over 25 countries and more than 50 locations. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key locations including Dubai, Bahrain, Beirut, Abu Dhabi, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London, Luxembourg, Milan, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Mumbai, Singapore and Tokyo. Our client-centric approach, our objective advice based on a unique open product platform, our very strong financial base and our entrepreneurial management culture make us the international reference in private banking.
For more information, visit our website at www.juliusbaer.com
SUBSIDIARY CUP TITLE SPONSOR
Bentley Emirates
Bentley Emirates, part of Al Habtoor Motors, the official dealer of Bentley in the UAE, displays its iconic range of Bentley Vehicles at the Gold Cup Polo 2017.
Bentley Emirates, the largest Bentley Dealer in the world is the main sponsor of the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series 2017. Part of the well-established, Dubai based business conglomerate Al Habtoor Motors, the Prestige Cars Division is the official dealer of some of the world's coveted marques in the UAE. Al Habtoor Motors is the sole authorized retailer of Bentley motor cars in the UAE since 1983 and has recently opened the world’s largest Bentley showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road. Al Habtoor Motors also host one of the world’s largest Bentley Aftersales facility as well the world’s first Bentley Café located in the heart of Dubai Marina.
Driven by professionalism, quality and high standards of customer service, Bentley Emirates continues to serve with utmost confidence and is poised to scale even greater heights.
For more information, visit: www.dubai.bentleymotors.com
CO-SPONSORS
Emirates Airlines
Emirates is a global connector of people and places, and has received hundreds of international awards and accolades for excellence. Emirates flies to 154 destinations in 82 countries. Operating 248 wide-body Airbus and Boeing aircraft, including the industry leading aircraft A380, Emirates has pending deliveries for an additional 237 aircraft, worth more than USD$114 billion. The airline’s luxurious amenities, regionally inspired gourmet cuisine, award-winning in-flight entertainment system – ice – and unmatched hospitality provided by its iconic multilingual Cabin Crew have made Emirates one of the world’s most recognized airline brands.
The airline’s vast portfolio of international sports and cultural sponsorships brings people together to discover, enjoy, and share enriching experiences. Leading Football clubs such as Arsenal FC, Real Madrid C.F., AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Hamburger SV, Olympiacos FC , Benfica and New York Cosmos sport iconic ‘Fly Emirates’ jerseys. Emirates’ commitment to other sports include Tennis (ATP World Tour, Emirates ATP Rankings, Emirates Airline US Open Series, US Open, French Open), Golf (Emirates Australian Open Championship, DP World Tour Championship), Cricket (All major ICC events and ICC Elite Panel of Umpires), Horse Racing (Emirates Melbourne Cup, Dubai World Cup), Rugby (Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, Rugby World Cup) Sailing (Emirates Team New Zealand) and Formula One (Global Partner).
For more information please visit www.emirates.com
U.S. Polo Assn.
The U.S. Polo Assn. brand products are authentic and officially sanctioned by the United States Polo Association, the governing body for the sport of polo in the United States since 1890. The brand carries an extensive collection for men, women and children, of classically styled, high-quality, casual clothing and accessories. Today, U.S. Polo Assn. products are sold through our licensing program in over 135 countries at independent retail, department and U.S. Polo Assn. brand stores.
Diamond Lease:
Diamondlease L.L.C, a fully owned subsidiary of the Al Habtoor Group, was established in 1996 to offer automotive rental & leasing solutions, as an alternative to owning and maintaining vehicles, to Corporate & Individual customers in the UAE. Currently Diamondlease serves more than 700 companies and multinational conglomerates operating in UAE, handling and managing their transportation requirements.
Diamondlease is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company with a fleet of over 8400 vehicles. It was the first local Car Rental Company in UAE to receive an ISO certification and has proudly held the accreditation since 1999. In recognition of its sound business ethics and outstanding customer service, Diamondlease was one of the first car rental companies to have been nominated as a member of the prestigious Dubai Service Excellence Scheme (DSES) in 2003.
Diamondlease has been awarded the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Travel Awards being adjudged the “Best Car Rental Company” – Local Brand for 7 years in a row.
MEDIA PARTNERS
OK! Middle East:
The exclusive official media sponsor for the Dubai Polo Gold Cup Series 2017 (Dubai Open). OK! Middle East celebrates the A-list each week, revealing the latest news, photos and in-depth features on international celebrities and home-grown VIPs, socialites and trendsetters in an engaging and positive way; bringing the OK! reader closer to the stars than any other magazine.
With access all areas to the glamour of Hollywood, OK! features inspirational celebrity-led fashion and beauty, providing our in-the-know readers with the tips and trends to look and feel their A-list best.
OK! Middle East is the only magazine to be invited into the homes of the rich, famous and influential, and is always on the guest list for the glittering red carpet events, hot openings and invite-only launches that are synonymous with our region.
Welcome to your exclusive entry into the world of stardom, glamour and celebrity life... welcome to OK! Middle East.
PoloLine:
PoloLine is the leading global provider of news, information and services about polo, offering up to the minute news from all the major polo events around the world. With over 100,000 unique visitors from more than 80 countries. PoloLine offers unprecedented reach to the highly desirable target market of Polo enthusiasts.
Al Badia:
Since 2008, Al Badia, the prestigious Arabic venture is devoted to bringing the latest news and views on the equestrian world, Polo sporting and lifestyle. In fact it is a tribute to the age old passion for the thoroughbred, an integral part of the rich Arabian culture.
Al Badia focuses a gamut of information on the highly valued sport of horseracing, including information about events taking place in the Arab world and about organizations and services sought by equestrians of all disciplines.
Besides being a specialized lifestyle magazine to meet the refined taste of the equestrian community, it features a wide range of information including very exclusive coverages like interviews of the Sheikhs and the who’s who of the Arab world. It targets the crème de la crème of the society and is widely circulated across different regions of the Gulf & Middle East.
Al Badia is a good platform to showcase premium brands, as it has a wide readership comprising sports enthusiasts, socialites, eminent personalities, celebrities and the royalty.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Dubai Sports Council:
Dubai Sports Council is the official government body responsible for the development of the sport sector in the Emirate of Dubai. Under the Chairmanship of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and its 14 Board Members; the Council supervises the work of nine local clubs in Dubai, six of which practice a variety of individual and or team sports, such as football, handball and archery; in addition to the chess club and a club devoted for those with special needs.
Since its inception in 2006, with the vision of creating a unique sporting community, the Council organizes various annual major Sports Championships and Conferences, in cooperation with multiple International/National sports bodies and Dubai Government Entities, such as the Dubai International Sports Conference, Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup and the FINA Diving World Series; in an attempt to enhance the culture, knowledge and expertise of professionalism in all aspects of the field; from the overall preparation and/or execution of the event.
Dubai became the first Arab and Middle East city to host the Sport Accord International Convention in 2010, and stages the annual Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award, the most prestigious Award of the Middle East Region. Though the Council works on various major international sports events, it does not overlook the importance of spreading the awareness of a healthier, more active lifestyle locally; and in order to achieve such objectives, physical activity programs and initiatives, such as the Dubai Pulse Physical Activity program, the Furjan District Championships and the Dubai Beach Soccer League, have all been designed to target the various communities within the Emirate.
Cristina Gusita
Polo Coordinator General
Dubai Polo Gold Cup
E-mail: [email protected]
For more information visit: www.dubaipologoldcup.com
