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- It is the first event of its kind to be played on sand, and first organized by the Saudi Polo Federation
JEDDAH: A very special equestrian event this week will break new ground not only for 抖阴短视频 but for global sport.
AlUla Desert Polo is the first official polo event to be played on a field of sand, rather than the more usual grass. It is also the first match organized in association with the Saudi Polo Federation, which was formed in July 2018.
However, as federation chairman Amr Zedan explained, the inspiration for the event, which will take place from Jan. 16 to 18 as part of the Winter at Tantora festival, comes from a very different environment.
鈥淚t鈥檚 inspired by the snow polo event in St. Moritz,鈥� he said. 鈥淎lUla Desert Polo is a unique event in both Saudi and global terms.鈥�
Zedan, who has played polo around the world for 20 years, established the Zedan Polo Team in 2005. However, this week鈥檚 event is particularly special to him, as he hopes it will help to promote the sport in the Kingdom, encourage young people to give it a go and provide a solid foundation for its future growth in the country, which is something he is passionate about.
鈥淔rom my perspective, the highlight of AlUla Desert Polo is the power that sport has to instigate positive change in society,鈥� he said.
Zedan believes the Saudi Vision 2030 initiative to develop and diversify the country鈥檚 economy and society has helped to make great strides in the development of many sports, including polo.
鈥湺兑醵淌悠� has a great pool of untapped talent in all sporting arenas,鈥� he said, adding that a growing number of Saudi equestrians have excelled in international competitions around the world.
鈥淲e know that many young Saudis love horses and we want to give them a chance to become involved in what is an exciting and rewarding sport. This event brings the world鈥檚 best.鈥�
First played as long ago as the 6th century BC, according to some historians, polo is one of the oldest equestrian sports in the world. Two teams of four players on horseback use mallets with long handles to attempt to hit a wooden ball into the opposition鈥檚 goal. The desert sands of AlUla not only provide a different type of terrain on which to play, but the ancient, historic location is an unusually stunning venue.
鈥淧olo has never been played against such a unique, spectacular and unspoiled backdrop before,鈥� said Zedan. 鈥淎lUla is an ancient, UNESCO World Heritage site, with very strong links to the horse heritage that runs throughout 抖阴短视频. It will be an outstanding event, one that the people who play in it and watch it will never forget.鈥�
The safety and welfare of the horses is paramount, given the unusual venue and surface. Zedan said that experts have been brought in to prepare a playing surface that is suitable and safe for the animals, without damaging the unspoiled landscape of AlUla鈥檚 sandstone outcrops.
鈥淭his game has given me so much pleasure over the years and I feel great satisfaction in being able to now share this passion with the people of 抖阴短视频,鈥� he added. 鈥淚n addition, I am from the Madinah Al-Munawara region, of which AlUla is a part, so this event is something of a homecoming for me.鈥�
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