“As an avid supporter of all types of sports and charitable organizations worldwide, this event captures both personal interests. More importantly, supporting this event in the United Kingdom acts as an extension to my efforts in bridging the gap between East and West”…Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, Chairman, Kingdom Holding Company. This is an extract from the GCC Polo Cup 2003 magazine. Such was and is the passion of other sponsors from previous and forthcoming events including Al Hamrani Group, MEDGULF, Al Faisaliyah Group, Haji Hussein Alireza, National Commercial Bank, BMG Financial Advisors. The list goes on…
Their commitment and active involvement in the event thoroughly demonstrates their vision, overcoming several hurdles and in the process setting them apart as entrepreneurs by extending their vision to helping those at a disadvantage. The Kidney Research Center of KSA, the Association of Disabled Children of KSA, Friends of the Disabled Association of Lebanon, the Graham Layton Trust, of Pakistan and the Prince’s Trust, to name a few.
For somebody who knew nothing about ‘Chukka’s’ and ‘Mallet’s’ or polo in general, not to mention the fact that I had no prior experience of organizing such an event…I realized the above facts and their objective relevance as I got first hand information on experiences shared by sponsors from yesteryears and guests who had attended the events.
I believe that the GCC Polo Cup event bears testimony to their dedication and positive aspirations in seeking to cement and enhance cultural, social, business and sporting ties between the United Kingdom and the GCC States.With the foundation already in its ninth year of organizing this event, the GCC Polo Cup is now a major date on the British-Arab, socio-cum-sporting calendar. However, the scenario wasn’t the same almost a decade ago.
After all, to come up with a unique way of blending together three objectives vis a vis raising thousands of pounds to deserving charities, providing a sporting ambience for business networking and ensuring that everybody has an enjoyable day...is no easy task!
However, for a man as dedicated and passionate about this event and its organization as he is to activities pertaining to his ever-advancing Financial Advisory Firm, Basil Al Ghalayini, vice-chairman of the Saudi British Businessmen Council, has left no stone unturned.
Since its inception back in 1997, the GCC Polo Cup event has come a long way and has grown rapidly over the years, benefiting from the active participation of Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, the prince of Wales, Prince Salman ibn Abdul Aziz, Prince Turki Al Faisal, Prince Miteb ibn Abdullah. In recent years, the game has gained momentum by increasing the level of commercial sponsorship and promotion especially from media partners like MBC and SKY sports and once again all three facets of this event will come to the fore on June 25, when the two teams thunder on to the Guards Polo Club grounds in Windsor Palace to participate in an event that is to be held in memory of the late Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri. Business and charity will be housed under “the roof of enjoyment!”
