Saudi 1st National Polo Team Launched, Patronized by Saudia

The 1st ever Saudi national Polo team, sponsored by the national carrier Saudia, is set to take part in a series of events, during the season of AlUla Moments.

The Saudi polo team will compete in the Desert Polo Championship in AlUla, in a strategic partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla Governorate.

On the other hand, Saudia Group, the partner of the AlUla Moments season, affirmed its commitment to contribute to revamping the tourism and sports sectors, across the Kingdom, by launching the 1st polo team in the name of the Saudi national carrier, including 3-player, which will participate in the Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo Championship 2022, a much more anticipated event, notably, by everyone, who is part of the Moments of AlUla season.

The team’s participation falls in line with the strategic partnership between Saudia and the Royal Commission for Al-Ula Governorate, through continuous collaboration between the two parties, to shed light on the unique heritage of the historical destination and its natural beauties.

The national carrier had participated in a variety of events and activities that displayed the unique attractions of the historic desert city.

These activities and events include the 1st Sky Museum trip in the world, highlighting the cultural significance of AlUla as an open-air and living museum, including the 1st site in the Kingdom, to be included in the World Heritage List by UNESCO.

Among the activities and events is the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques International Cup for Endurance 2022, a challenging equestrian race that attracts as many as 200 riders from more than 30 countries, to compete across rugged desert terrain, stretching over 120 kilometers.

Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo, will be among so many expected events, supported by Saudia.

During the 2-week AlUla Sky Festival, set to start on February 27 until March 12, visitors will be able to fly in the sky, with balloons to enjoy the desert landscapes, and they will also be able to enjoy an experience of Music Show, Under the Stars, on March 11th, where a spectacular musical performance is set to performed against a stunning bow rock backdrops.

“During this period, we are experiencing significant growth for Saudia Group, in relation to Al-Ula, in particular, and the Kingdom, in general.

We are proud to be part of the ambitious plans to connect this wonderful destination to the world, share our unique culture and heritage, and welcome visitors to the Kingdom, in the largest open-air living museum in the world.

In demonstrating the Kingdom’s rich equestrian traditions, we are laying ground for the future as a world-renowned tourist destination, in line with our role as the strong wings of the Kingdom Vision 2030,” Khalid Tash, Head of Marketing for the Saudi Airlines Group, commented on the occasion.

The Saudi Polo Team consists of HH Prince Salman bin Mansour Al Saud, Juan Martin Nero and Dr. Hussam Zawawi, while the team’s 1st appearance will be in the 2nd edition of the Richard Mille Al-Ula Desert Polo Championship, set to begin on Friday, February 11, with the participation of 4 teams that include several best Players from Saudi Arabia and from all over the world.

Attendees will have a unique opportunity to experience the most important sports names in the game, including Juan Martin Nero, Marc Ganzi and Adolfo Cambiasso – founder of La Dolphina, widely considered the best polo player in history.

The winners of the 1st round will advance to the final on Saturday 12 February.

“We are proud that the Kingdom’s national carrier is a major sponsor of the Richard Mille Al-Ula Desert Polo Championship, as such partnership between Saudia and the Richard Mille Al-Ula Desert Polo Championship confirms that polo is a passport to the world.

We have already received many players and guests from Argentina and Europe, who expressed their pleasure to visit Al-Ula, to be among, and onboard the 1st direct flight from Paris to Al-Ula, as well as to be among the 1st air travelers to this wonderful destination.

We look forward to welcoming more direct flights that will help attract much more world recognized class polo players, participating in the future competitions, and to promote interest in this sport, across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Amr Zeidan, President of the Saudi Polo Federation, remarked.

Al-Ula is the historical home of equestrian, in the Kingdom, and the history of the region dates back to thousands of years, when ancient civilizations had managed to harness wild horses to facilitate trade and exploration, while Al-Ula region, at the time, became a symbol of the special relationship between humans and animals, in the region, as a whole.

It is noteworthy that the inscriptions of horses are present, on a myriad of rock engravings, carved thousands of years ago on the AlUla Mountains.

The Polo desert arena was built specifically to welcome the best polo players in the world.

Richard Mille AlUla Desert Polo 2022 event among many equestrian experiences that pay homage to the region’s equestrian past.

“We look forward to continue working with Saudia, to welcome more international visitors to sporting events and horse riding activities, in appreciation of the rich history of AlUla, especially with such stunning landscapes.

We are developing infrastructure, stables, retail for equine activities and for many more functions, to go, to fully support the equestrian sector, in close partnership with the local community,” Philip Jones, Head of Destination and Marketing Department at the Royal Commission for AlUla, pointed out.

Saudia’s launching of the polo team, represents a critically important milestone for the Saudi national carrier, especially that it is taking place, in conjunction with the launch of direct flights between Al-Ula and Paris, on January 27.

It is noteworthy that Saudia has launched its 1st flight to Al-Ula in 2010, with 4-weekly flights to and from Jeddah.

Since then, the company has strengthened its operations to meet the increasing demand, as it currently operates 40-weekly flights connecting Al-Ula with King Abdulaziz International Airport, in Jeddah, King Fahd International Airport, in Dammam, and King Khalid International Airport, in Riyadh, in addition to the recently launched flights, with an average of 2 per week to and from Charles de Gaulle Airport, in Paris