WORLD POLO – Since 1987: Over 100 Polo Tournaments on Grass, Sand and Snow

The Swiss Reto Gaudenzi is one of the most influential polo visionaries of the past four decades. In 1985, he founded the Snow Polo World Cup on the frozen lake of St. Moritz – the first polo tournament on snow in the history of the sport. He organized the first-ever FIP tournaments outside of Argentina, invented the modern-day version of Beach Polo in Dubai and Miami, and created yet another milestone with the Grass Arena Polo World Cup Azerbaijan, held annually over the past decade.

In cooperation with the World Polo team and local partners, Gaudenzi has initiated tournaments all over the world. Prestigious destinations such as Courchevel (France), Miami (Florida, USA), Lech and Kitzbühel (Austria), Dubai (UAE), Miami Beach, Berlin (Germany), and St. Moritz (Switzerland) are just a few examples. Under the motto “Bringing Polo Home,” World Polo has organized 11 Arena Polo Events and one Full-Size Polo Event in Baku over the course of 11 years – the most recent one in 2023.

Together with ARAF, World Polo also launched the first-ever FIP Arena Polo European Championship in Baku. Gaudenzi is known for bringing together outstanding locations, flawless organization, innovative marketing, top-tier sport, remarkable people, and unforgettable backdrops to the world of polo. In Azerbaijan, he was especially impressed by the country’s ancient equestrian tradition and the warm hospitality of its people.

At the Elite Horse and Polo Club in Baku, World Polo has helped establish a remarkable infrastructure: two full-size grass polo fields and three arena fields (including one grass and one indoor arena). High-definition floodlight systems allow matches at any time of day and facilitate global broadcasts—the last polo film was televised in 280 countries. A national polo team was founded in cooperation with Argentine professionals Adrian and Raul Laplacette and has since made waves internationally: a gold and bronze medal at the FIP Arena EC, and two silver medals at the FIP Europeans—the most recent one in Düsseldorf in 2023. The AZE team also won the Snow Polo World Cup in 2022 and 2023, becoming one of the most successful new teams under Gaudenzi’s leadership. World Polo has brought nearly 100 polo horses to Azerbaijan, and local Karabakh horses are now being trained for polo as well.

In 2024, Gaudenzi—together with Cristina Rosu and dedicated teams—brought polo to Romania. The inaugural Singureni Manor Arena Polo Cup was held at Singureni Manor and marked Romania’s first-ever polo tournament. It attracted 3,000 spectators in October 2024 and was a great success. Looking ahead, the 2nd Singureni Manor Arena Polo Cup will take place from 26–28 September 2025. A polo school has already been established, Argentine polo horses and trainers are on site, and two full-size grass polo fields are under construction under the supervision of Battro.

In Reto Gaudenzi, partners worldwide have an experienced, fair, and passionate polo organizer by their side. His company, World Polo—founded in 1987—has organized iconic tournaments across all surfaces: snow, sand, and grass. These include the European Championships in Berlin (1987), the World Championships at Berlin’s Maifeld (1989), the European Championships (1993), and the World Championships in St. Moritz (1995). He also introduced Beach Polo as a world premiere in Dubai in collaboration with the Al Habtoors and later established the Beach Polo World Cup Miami, now successfully run by his son Tito. The Snow Polo World Cup Kitzbühel—also a Gaudenzi creation—celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023 and is now run with great enthusiasm by Tito Gaudenzi and his team.

Today, Gaudenzi is primarily focused on the Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz, which celebrated its 40th edition in January 2025. He will also manage the Swiss National Polo Team at the upcoming FIP European Championship 2025 in Poland. Ongoing polo projects include destinations such as Dubai and others currently in development.

“In 1978, I was running hotels in Marbella, Spain, and was introduced to polo by Richard Denmann, then Polo Manager in Sotogrande. Richard was an old bobsleigh friend—we were both members of the British and Swiss national bobsleigh teams in the 1970s,” recalls Gaudenzi. In 1980, playing off a 2-goal handicap, he won the prestigious Gold Cup in Sotogrande with teammates Orazio Annunziata, Martin Tassara, and Nico Matienzo as part of the 20-goal team Brattas. After a 46-year polo career, Gaudenzi retired from active play in the summer of 2024 following a serious fall.

World Polo’s next events are the 2nd Singureni Manor Polo Cup (26–28 September 2025) and the 41st Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz (23–25 January 2026)—the most prestigious snow polo tournament in the world.

Polo tournaments organised by Reto Gaudenzi:

Grass

  • Berlin, D 15x*
  • St. Moritz, CH 8x*
  • Alegria, AR 15x*
  • Kuantan, MY 1x
  • Chicago, USA 2x
  • Düsseldorf, D 4x
  • Singapore, S 2x
  • Prag, CZ 1x
  • Baku, AZ 8x*
  • Dubai, UAE 2x*
  • Romania RO 1 x*
  • Mauritius Project 2024*

Beach

  • La Boule, F 2x
  • Miami Beach, USA 3x*
  • Dubai, UAE 1x*
  • Rio de Janeiro, BR Project *
  • Marbella, ESP Project*
  • Doha, QAT Project*

Snow

  • St. Moritz, CH 24x*
  • Las Leñas, AR 2x*
  • Lech, AT 2x*
  • Kitzbühel, AT 5x*
  • Courchevel, F 2x*
  • Moscow, R 1x *
  • Bariloche, ARG 1x

*Creator/Producer