RIYADH — Players from the world’s most renowned polo teams, Argentina’s La Dolfina, are set to contest the inaugural Desert Polo tournament next month at the breathtaking AlUla UNESCO world heritage site.

Desert Polo, which creates Saudi Arabian history as the first tournament held under the auspices of the newly formed Saudi Polo Federation, is to make its debut on Jan. 16-18, 2020.

It will form a central showpiece of the Winter at Tantora festival, which celebrates the cultural heritage of the beautiful and historic Al Madinah Al Munawara region over a three-month period.

Players from La Dolfina, fresh from their 11th victory in the Argentine Open, will swap the city of Buenos Aires for the towering sandstone mountains and sweeping canyons of AlUla, a site of civilization dating back 200,000 years.

There they will head one team each leading invited players and patrons from the glamorous world of polo in a two-day tournament.

Adolfo Cambiaso, the ten-goal founder of La Dolfina, who will be joined by teammates Pablo McDonough, David Stirling and Juan M Nero, La Dolfina said: “I’m looking forward to visiting AlUla with the team. Polo has taken me all over the world but to play in an ancient heritage site with such strong horsemanship heritage is a first for me.

“I am honored to be asked to participate in the first official polo event held in the country and very excited about the developments being made by the Saudi Polo Federation and what that means for the growth of our sport.”

Amr F. Zedan, chairman of Saudi Polo Federation and a well-known polo player and patron, welcomed La Dolfina to the Desert Polo line-up.

“Hosting players like Adolfo [Cambiaso] and Pablo [McDonough] adds a real star power to Desert Polo,” he said.

“Polo in Saudi Arabia is beginning its journey of development and we are incredibly proud to use this event as a vehicle to promote not only the changes that we are making in the governance of this sport but also as a way to promote the largely untouched beauty of our country.”

Winter at Tantora is offering a special polo package, for one day or three days featuring a special “Introduction to Polo” clinic.

A limited run of 150 one-day tickets are available for SR2,500 to Winter at Tantora’s weekend and one-day package holders, while 150 three-day tickets, priced at SR3,500 each, are available to weekend package holders.

This includes a 1-hour introduction clinic to polo, with a maximum limit of 10-per-day (first-come first-serve basis). — SG