LONDON, 21 June 2003 — The seventh GCC Polo Cup, a unique event in the UK sporting calendar, was held this year at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor. The event, won by the Prince of Wales’ team after a thrilling battle against a GCC Select, provided an arena to develop and enhance relations between the United Kingdom and the Gulf countries. Proceeds from the event are donated to charity.
Since its inception, the event has attracted high profile attendees as Prince Charles has been representing his team for the last six years. This year the Prince of Wales’ team and the GCC team received their trophies from Queen Elizabeth, who watched the match.
Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal’s Kingdom Holding Company was the main sponsor of the event. The Gold sponsors of the event consisted of the leading firms of the region and included SADAFCO, the National Bank of Dubai, United Tech and the Jebel Ali International Hotels. The silver sponsors were Baud Telecom Company, Air Touring Management, Lebano-Suisse Insurance, Al-Moallim Jewellery and Noon Products.
The Prince of Wales was joined by his son Prince Harry. The star of the GCC team was Alamgir Masoud. But Prince Harry was the crowd’s favorite and his successes on the field were greeted with enthusiastic applause. The Prince of Wales team beat the GCC team 5-3. The presentation of the trophies was followed by donations to charities and gifts to the sponsors.
The event is the brainchild of Basil Al-Ghalayini, the president of BMG Financial Advisors, and raises hundreds of thousands of pounds annually for recognized charities all over the world.
