Royalty, horses & causes at the 16th GCC Polo Cup

BMG Foundation, the corporate social responsibility division of the BMG Financial Group, organized their 16th annual GCC Polo Cup this year at Windsor, England on June 20. It was attended by Britain's Queen Elizabeth, along with special guest of honor Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, vice chairwoman of the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, in addition to over 200 invitees from the diplomatic, business and media communities.
The foundation annually hosts its mainstay events — Art Alive, Foundation Classics and the GCC Polo Cup — bringing together high profile businessmen, thought leaders and social changers from the Middle East and the West to foster values of understanding and trust while promoting artistic, musical, sporting and cultural appreciation.
These events have raised substantial charity toward supporting various philanthropic causes, which have in the past benefitted the Disabled Children Association (Saudi Arabia), Friends of the Disabled Association (Lebanon), The Prince’s Trust (UK), Graham Layton Trust (UK) and Impact Middle East.
The GCC Polo Cup, one of the foundation’s annual flagship sporting events initiated 15 years ago, was organized this year to raise aid and awareness for the ‘Our Water, Our Life’ campaign, spearheaded by the BMG Foundation in cooperation with the Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation.
A nationwide competition that was initiated early this year across schools and universities in Saudi Arabia aiming to cultivate social and behavioral changes toward water conservation, brought over more than 200 submissions. The top 10 were shortlisted by a prestigious panel of international judges.
The winning team members Haya Saad Al-Yahya, Eman Yaqoub Al Nasser, Jawaher Manasour Alowaid and the team supervisor Dr. Sumayah Al-Solaiman from the University of Dammam were awarded at the GCC Polo Cup event by Princess Ameerah.
The winning team’s awareness campaign idea addressing the global water crisis to inspire individual action toward sustainability in Arab homes has already been implemented at the arrival terminals of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam airports, over television, magazines, social media and newspapers in Saudi Arabia, and will run for a duration of six months until December 2012.
“Each year the BMG Foundation supports a philanthropic cause. This year, the ‘Our Water, Our Life’ campaign attempted to reach out to as many households as possible and educate society about the grave situation of the world’s limited water resources and promote water conservation,” said Basil Al-Ghalayini, BMG Financial Group CEO and BMG Foundation Chairman.
Speaking on the dangers of water contamination, the looming water shortage crisis and the challenge of water conservation and awareness, Princess Ameerah underlined the responsibility that must be shared among members of society amid controversial environmental statistics released from credible research bodies that have been rebutting the caution raised on the depleting natural resources, to maximize profits at the expense of the environment.
“We take water for granted. Science and statistics aside; this is about morals. It’s about conscience. We have been created to feel sympathy toward the unfortunate. Our eyes were created to see a tear drop when we see a child crying. This water issue can only be solved through individual action,” she said.
“Your water consumption matters. Our environmental responsibility is all that matters. For once, it is us the individuals who have the answer and the means to make a global impact. We do not have to wait for government or corporate action. Everyone is capable, and no one is immune,” she urged members of the media and the attending glitterati.
The GCC Polo team’s young players Salman Al-Hamrani (KSA), Habtoor Al-Habtoor (UAE), Amr Zedan (KSA) and Faris Al-Yabhouney (UAE) demonstrated strength, speed, agility and prowess resulting in a remarkable winning performance with a 9-1 score over the British Guards Polo team.
“This year was one of our best Polo Cups that the BMG Foundation has hosted to date. I believe that Her Highness Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel’s participation, as well as the first dry day in Windsor for months were the key success factors,” said Al-Ghalayini.
“I enjoyed the match very much; I’m very happy to be here and that the GCC Polo Team won. This is my first polo match and I even managed to stomp the divots (wearing heels). The BMG Foundation has done a wonderful job organizing this delightful event and they are very hospitable,” expressed an enthusiastic Princess Ameerah.
She further shared her views on the participation of Saudi women in the Olympics, and possibly in the future GCC Polo Cup, saying: “We already have in Saudi Arabia many athletic and capable horsewomen and I hope to see them competing in international games.”
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