Swiss National Team

Swiss National Team 2022

FIP European Arena Championship, Baku, Azerbaijan - 15/09/2022 to 18/09/2022

Switzerland was represented by
- Fabio Meier +1
- Tomas Ruiz Guiñazu +5
- Tito Gaudenzi +2

All players are playing with Arena handicap : grass handicap +1.

Summary of the event :
https://fippolo.com/ii-fip-arena-polo-european-championshipbaku-azerbaijan/

FIP World Championship Zone C Playoff, Chantilly, France - 30/04/22 to 08/05/22

Five countries will compete for two places for the FIP World Championship 2022 in Palm Beach.

Switzerland will be represented by
- Felipe Dana +1
- Nik Rogerson +2
- Tomas Ruiz Guiñazu +5
- Marcos Goti +5
They will be coached onsite by Carlos - Tachu - Solari.

Title sponsor :
- Ferronato
Co-sponsors :
- Decisive Capital
- RealStone
- Baerg Marti
- Mountain Essence
Technical Sponsor :
- Softshield
Charity fund raising :
- Chiki Foundation

Swiss National Team 2021

FIP European Championship, Sotogrande, Spain - 10-19 September 2021

From the 10th to 19th September 2021, the FIP (Federation of International Polo) European Championship will take place in Sotogrande/Spain.

The Swiss national coach and former world-class player Carlos «Tachu» Solari has composed a competitive team for the tournament, consisting of experienced players and young newcomers. Switzerland will play against the teams of Spain and Holland. In the second group, the teams from Austria, Germany and Italy will compete against each other.

Switzerland has regularly taken part in the European championships since 1987 and can thus count on a broad and internationally experienced selection of polo players. Most of them have acquired their skills in one of the polo academies of the local clubs.

The following players have been nominated:
1. Luca Meier Handicap +1 (23 years, Zürcher Polo Club)
2. Fabio Meier Handicap +1 (25 years, Zürcher Polo Club)
3. Janik Oertli Handicap +2 (21 years, Polo Park & Country Club Zürich)
4. Tito Gaudenzi Handicap +2 (37 years, Evviva Polo Club St. Moritz)

Substitutes:
Francisco Soldati Jun. Handicap +1 (19 years, Evviva Polo Club St. Moritz)
Juan Soldati Handicap +1 (18 years, Evviva Polo Club St. Moritz)

Coach: Carlos «Tachu» Solari (ARG)
Head of Delegation: Reto G. Gaudenzi (CH)

The participation in the European Championships was made possible thanks to the support of the three sponsors St. Moritz Top of the World, CentraLab and Worldpolo. The association and the team also express their gratitude to the Swiss polo clubs and their members, all attendants, trainers, grooms and assistants who look after the horses and players.

Brief history of the Swiss National Polo Team
The team and the SPA (Swiss Polo Association) were founded in 1983 by Reto Gaudenzi. The first international match between Switzerland and Spain in Barcelona followed, which Switzerland won by 7-6 - a remarkable outcome in the sport of Polo. As player and captain, Gaudenzi led and shaped the team for ten years, his successes include winning the bronze medal at the 1993 European Championships in St. Moritz. To date, the Swiss national team has participated in two World Championships and 11 European Championships in various line-ups. The Swiss Polo Association (SPA) is a member of the Federation of International Polo (FIP).

Newport Polo 5th of June 2021

Switzerland vs USA

1. Sasha Pictet Handicap +1
2. Andrew Drummond Handicap +1
3. Martin Luginbühl (Captain) Handicap +2
4. Tito Gaudenzi Handicap +2

Swiss National Team 2018

The 12th FIP European Polo Championship took place from September 20th to 30th at the Villa a Sesta Polo Club near Siena. After competing in two top-level tournaments to prepare, at the Jaeger-LeCoultre Polo Masters in Veytay and at the Vecinos Cup in Zürich, the Swiss National team and staff traveled to Tuscany as part of the 10 teams competing for the prestigious title.

The Swiss National Team had finished 4th in both the 2008 and 2010 edition and the players were eager to put their nation back on the podium. Unfortunately, captain Simon Luginbühl was hit by a ball at the very beginning of the second game, against Spain, and had to be hospitalized. The team had to reorganize their strategy and tactics for that specific games and the next ones. A new balance was found and the team defended themselves well, winning against Austria and losing by only 1/2 goal against the new European Champions; Italy. Sadly, this wasn’t sufficient to secure a spot in the final nor the 3rd spot game. But all in all, a very decent performance by Switzerland which helped strengthen its status on the international polo scene.

In the final, Italy beat Azerbaijan 8 to 4 while Ireland took the best of Germany 4.5 to 4 in the 3rd spot game. On the ladies’ side, Germany was declared European Champion in front of Italy, Netherlands and France.

For further information on the European Championship please see here.

The team’s campaign has been made possible thanks to the suppport of the many members and polo clubs in Switzerland, in particular Polo Club de Veytay and Polo Park Zürich along with generous private supporters. Main sponsor Nimses, who have embarked on their first journey as sponsor in the oldest team sport in the world, have been instrumental in making this project come to life. Supporting sponsors such as Compex (through DJO Global Switzerland) and Game Ready (through MTR Health & Spa), as well as Dr. Andreas Krüger (Polo Doc), ensure the team has access to the best possible advisory and tools when it comes to physical preparation and training.

The association and team’s gratitude also goes out to all the supporting staff, coach, groom and assistants who help take care of the horses and players throughout this campaign.

Meet the players

1 Sacha Pictet (hp 1)
Sacha learnt to play polo at the local polo club Veytay with Swiss Team teammates Martin and Simon Luginbühl. He took part in the Swiss Team European campaign of 2008, finishing in 4th position. He has played polo mostly in the UK but most recently is playing in Spain. Sacha’s victories include wins at the Gstaad Open and Zurich Open.

2 Martin Luginbühl (hp 2)
Martin has learned to play in Veytay as well. In 2015, he moved to Zürich for professional reasons and joined the largest club from the area, Polo Park Zürich, where he’s been playing with home team Los Lobos. Martin has won 5 Swiss Championships and has participated in various tournaments around the world. In the early 2000’s, he spent a couple of inspiring weeks training with current 10-goaler Hilario Ulloa’s on his Polo farm.

3 Tito Gaudenzi (hp 2)
Tito Gaudenzi is a professional player based out of Wellington Florida, where he plays the high goal season out of the Grand Champions Polo Club. He has successfully competed around the world and won numerous trophies such as the coveted Snow Polo World Cup Kitzbühel and the German Open. He also owns and organized some of the top polo events in the world such as the Beach Polo World Cup, Miami Beach, Kitzbühel Snow Polo World Cup, amongst others.

4 Simon Luginbühl (hp 2)
Just like his 2 above teammates, Simon started to ride and play in Veytay. He was member of the Swiss team in 2008 and 2010, finishing in 4th position in both occasions. He is the Veytay Polo Manager since 2009 and plays mostly there, but also played professionally in Argentina ,Morocco, South Africa, Russia, and in a few European countries. Simon has won many tournaments, including the Polo Masters (6 times), and the Swiss Championship (7 times). Simon will also be captaining this team during the campaign.