Aug 12, 2024 11:07 PM
Honoring the opening match of the 4th Olympic Polo Tournament at the 1924 Paris Games, USA (Quinn Evans, Hope Arellano*, Nicolas “Nico” Escobar*, Cody Ellis*) and France (Elena Venot, Dorian Bulteau, Clément Delfosse, Julien Reynes) met on Wednesday, August 7, in a commemorative centennial celebration. Presented by U.S. Polo Assn. and Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly, the international clash took place just 40 minutes from the heart of Paris in Apremont, France, following the conclusion of the equestrian events in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Dominating the second half, a decisive fourth chukker fueled by lead scorer Escobar vaulted USA into the lead to send the stars and stripes to the top of the podium.
Following an opening goal from France’s Delfosse, Evans responded from the field to kick-start the scoring for USA. A back-and-forth battle between USA’s Escobar and France’s Bulteau and Reynes, neither team wavered each adding four goals to the scoreboard to enter the half tied 5-all.
Seizing the moment following the break, Escobar commanded USA’s offensive efforts, displaying accuracy and confidence from both the field and penalty line adding four goals moving into the final chukker. Responding for the first time in the second half, France added two goals the fifth chukker, but a final drive from Escobar sealed USA’s historic 10-7 win.
As the Title and Apparel Sponsor, U.S. Polo Assn. provided apparel for the American and French teams with performance jerseys, practice jerseys and an assortment of U.S. Polo Assn. custom designed country apparel to wear off the field. U.S. Polo Assn. also outfitted the USA team with custom USPA Pro whites, saddle pads, as well as club and team staff kits. VIP gifts for the event included limited edition Paris Games Polo Challenge caps, t-shirts, scarves and pocket squares, as well as branded duffle bags.
Relive all the action of the 2024 Paris Games Polo Challenge on ESPN2 Tuesday, August 13 at 9:00pm ET or Saturday, August 17 on at 10:00am ET.
*Hope Arellano is an Active Member of Team USPA, Nicolas “Nico” Escobar is a Graduating Member of Team USPA and Cody Ellis is Team USPA alumnus. Team USPA is a USPA program designed to enhance and grow the sport of polo in the United States by identifying young, talented American players and providing mentored training and playing opportunities leading to a pool of higher rated amateur and pro players and the resultant giveback to the sport of polo.
Effective Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020
The suspension of USPA Tournaments and Events will be lifted for USPA Member Clubs in locales where hosting polo matches and tournaments is permitted under applicable state and local laws, executive orders and similar decrees. The USPA Member Clubs in these locales are encouraged to follow all such requirements of their state and local authorities with respect to polo operations. In addition, we also encourage all USPA Member Clubs to take the precautions recommended by the CDC. We are preparing a detailed list of best practices for USPA Member Clubs as they return to hosting USPA Tournaments and Events and plan to circulate these guidelines within the next week. We will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely and will notify you if we determine a different course of action is necessary.
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