LONDON, June 22 2008 – One of the best polo players in the world, Eduardo Heguy, was among the many stars taking part in the highly successful IWC Laureus Polo Cup held at Ham Polo Club, which raised substantial funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Argentina.
The event, sponsored by Swiss watch manufacturer IWC Schaffhausen, attracted an enthusiastic celebrity audience including Laureus World Sports Academy members Boris Becker, Ian Botham, Sean Fitzpatrick, Edwin Moses, Martina Navratilova, Hugo Porta and Daley Thompson. Other attendees who showed their support included Tim and Malin Jefferies, Saffron Aldridge and Annabelle Bond.
The annual IWC Laureus Polo Cup, one of the highlights of the English sporting summer, was won by the Laureus Team, who beat the Julius Baer Team 8-7 in a thrilling climax with Eduardo Heguy scoring the winning goal in the last few minutes of the game. The highlights of the game were goals scored by Miquel Novillo Astrada (Team Laureus) and Adamu Atta (Team Julius Baer) which were hammered in from 80 yards.
After the game, Eduardo Heguy said: “I am so happy that my team won, but more importantly I feel so lucky that I am able to help people through playing polo. I would like to thank all the players here today who have made this event possible. Every year it gets bigger and bigger, and most importantly we are able to raise money to help children around the world – that is the reason for us being here today. I had a good game and I had fun – it is fun to play against the people you normally play in a team with.”
Rugby legend Hugo Porta, the President of Fundacion Laureus Argentina, said: “This has become a great annual event. The people who came to Ham have not only had a great day out, but they have contributed to an important humanitarian cause. I would like to thank all the great polo players who took part and to thank all the individuals and companies who have made this important fundraiser such a great success.”
Georges Kern, Chief Executive Officer of IWC Schaffhausen, said: “We are delighted to be able to support this excellent sporting event which provides great competition and atmosphere and which also raises funds for the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in Argentina. The major strength of the Laureus Foundation is its ability to combine charity and sport at the very highest level. We as a company have a social responsibility to do what we can to help those who are socially, physically or economically disadvantaged. I would like to thank all the players and guests who were at Ham to support such a good cause.”
Funds for Laureus were raised through an auction, one item of which was the exclusive IWC Da Vinci Chronograph Edition Laureus Sport for Good Foundation watch, only 1,000 of which are being manufactured. Other prizes included the opportunity for three people to play tennis with Laureus Academy member and tennis legend Boris Becker, an amazing golf package at Loch Lomond Scotland, as well as trips to Dubai and Argentina to see World-class sports events. In total almost £80,000 was raised for the Fundacion Laureus Argentina.
The Laureus Foundation are extremely grateful to all sponsors and supporters without who this event would not have been possible - IWC Schaffhausen (Title Sponsor), Julius Baer (Team Sponsor) and Official Suppliers La Dolfina, Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, Fairhills and Pommery.
Fundacion Laureus Argentina supports four projects: Club Deportivo Barracas in General LaMadrid, Buenos Aires, which uses sport as well as a traditional Argentinian dance, the murga, to reinforce the importance of education, community, and values; the San Isidro Project in Buenos Aires, which has set up sports activity sessions and educational workshops in an area where crime, drugs, alcohol, violence and firearms use is prevalent; the West City Project in Mendoza, which uses football and hockey to address crime, delinquency and drug abuse; and Club Platense in Laprida which aims to a holistic development of its participants by offering a space with clear rules, solidarity amongst its members and a sense of community providing educational workshops, using football, rollerblading and chess.
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