The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2023

The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2023 took place on January 27th and was a true success. The world’s oldest snow polo tournament provided an exhilarating day filled with snow, sunshine and glamour. Teams from all corners of the world competed for the title of champion, with tight results and high levels of play. 

The day began with an opening ceremony that featured founder and organizer Reto Gaudenzi, who spoke about the difficulty and length of the work in setting up the infrastructure. 220 tons of material were needed, the equivalent weight of 80 elephants. In his speech, Gaudenzi praised the perfect weather provided by the almighty, cold for the ice and sunny for the spectators. 

The first match was played between last year’s champions, Azerbaijan Land of Fire, and Flexjet. Although Flexjet got off to a good start, it was Azerbaijan Land of Fire that took the lead and won a 5-3½ victory. 

The second match saw the Ganzi and McCarthy family face off against the St. Moritz regulars. Melissa Ganzi and her son Grant were part of the World Polo League team while Spencer McCarthy and his son James joined the brave St. Moritz regulars. It was St. Moritz who took the victory in a very tight match, 4½-4. 

The third and final match was another incredibly tight affair between Clinique La Prairie and Kusnacht Practice. Nic Roldan from Clinique La Prairie shone by scoring the 4 winning goals for his team, which were countered by the 3 goals scored by Alejo Taranco from Kusnacht Practice. Unfortunately, Kusnacht Practice was not able to find their form in time and Clinique La Prairie took the victory 4-3. 

The Snow Polo World Cup St. Moritz 2023 was an exhilarating day filled with surprises. Spectators were charmed by a combination of snow, sunshine and glamour. With high levels of play and tight results, the event was a clear success and the organizers can be proud of providing an unforgettable day.

Gil Zetbase