La Estancia Polo Cup 2024 – Interview and photo gallery

The La Estancia Polo Cup 2024 was held on 9 June at the polo club that gives the cup its name, in Etyek. This exceptional event has a long history, and every year, a special group of guests comes to the ranch owned by the Zimmermann family. As we have written before, La Estancia is a family love affair, with the parents Krisztina and Uwe and the new generation, Philipp and Maximilian, also polo enthusiasts. Now you can read an interview with Uwe Zimmermann and see some wonderful pictures from the private event.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): Could you give us a little insight into why polo is considered an elite sport? What are the costs of running a polo club per year and what are the expenses in a competition season?

Uwe Zimmermann: As one can imagine, polo is a rather expensive sport that requires lots of work and management in addition to financial funds. It takes time to maintain, train, travel, and organize a polo team. Maintaining the infrastructure of a polo club is hard work and requires a certain enthusiasm. But it’s still the most beautiful sport you can pick.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): It also takes a lot of energy to prepare, train and compete.

Uwe Zimmermann: Yes, it does. You need to be physically and mentally prepared for the sport. You need good horses, devoted grooms, some friends and associates to play with, and, very importantly, a family who will deal with it. In our case, we have the pleasure of playing with our sons and passing on the „bug“ of polo to the next generation.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): A little insight into the world: which are the most famous polo cups, and is Hungary represented there in any way?

Some of the most important in polo are f.e. Hurlingham in Argentina, Cowdray Park, Ascot Park in the UK, Sotogrande Ayala, Santa Barbara, El Dorado in California, Careyes in Mexico, Jaipur in India, Plettenberg in South Africa …

We have been playing in most of them…, but you need to travel a lot. Polo is never a „one-way “ street. It’s probably the most international sport since there are only a limited number of players in each country.

In Hungary, there is not really a big polo crowd. We at La Estancia try to organize and play on a higher level and open the doors to interested people to learn about the sport. The combination of sport, culture, society, and friendship is probably unique in the country and appreciated by our guests and visitors.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): When was the first La Estancia Polo Cup held, and what was the basic purpose of the event?

Uwe Zimmermann: The first tournament held at La Estancia was in 2000. We established polo internationally, not only for the sporty side but, at least as important, for the social side. It’s an elegant sport with the image of being stylish and entertaining, providing the right frame for a certain part of society.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): The La Estancia Polo Cup 2024, held a few weeks ago, is one of the biggest events of its kind in Hungary. What is worth knowing about this year’s event?

Uwe Zimmermann: The 2024 edition of the La Estancia Polo Cup was again the biggest polo event of the year in Hungary. We are very proud to have received players from 7 different nations to compete. It took a lot of work and stress to have the Polo event organized at such a high level, entertaining the guests, satisfying the sponsors, and providing good polo (without accidents). It takes many years to build such an outstanding reputation that attracts international brands and companies such as Hublot, Defender, Marriott, Unicum, and Ganz KK, just to name a few.

Having several hundred guests from Hungary and abroad and hosting more than 40 ambassadors is quite a challenge. All this in a perfect, movie-like setting with great hospitality makes us the benchmark of polo in the country at La Estancia.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): The pictures clearly show a very special event, for example, in terms of outfits, hats, and white trousers.

Uwe Zimmermann: Yes, we try to reflect in our organization the history and style polo deserves. The dress code is an important element in paying respect to the organizers and teams and celebrating the sport within society. It’s part of our culture and understanding how it should be.
I must admit, the ladies love to dress up and wear their beautiful clothes and hats. This year, a big group from Gucci joined us.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): Let’s not forget the sporting performance. Which team lifted the trophy this year, and what was the order of finish? What other prizes were awarded?

Uwe Zimmermann: Yes, there was again a very good and fast polo. Important, no accidents! Four international teams were competing, with the Austrian-Argentinian team from Dorothea Hotel winning the big trophy in the final against the Hungarian-German Ganz KK-Areus. Third place went to the Slovakian team from Defender in their match against the German-Italian-Mexican team of Hublot.

At La Estancia, all our players receive nice and valuable prizes and awards. Our sponsors and partners are so kind to support us and their teams, and our guests cheer for their favorite polo team.

Daily News Hungary (DNH):  In addition to the polo matches, the guests enjoyed other experiences thanks to the support of renowned sponsors.

Uwe Zimmermann: Yes, the opening of Budapest´s first Polo Lounge (by WineHub) on the first night of the event is a milestone. The cocktail and dinner reception at the Dorothea Hotel was an extremely enjoyable and elegant part of the polo tournament. Generosity is the correct attribute for the hospitality all of our players and guests were able to enjoy during the three-day event.

Defender, Unicum, Fish Monger, Alpine, Hublot, Turkish Airlines, Areus, Dr Hazi, Herz Coffee, Agrolanc-Toro and many others were setting the frame for our guests at the polo club, all nestled in the „white village“ designed by Krisztina Zimmermann. With their outstanding products, services and fantastic catering (by Dorothea Hotel), you enter a world of class and harmony. Seeing all the happy and smiling faces of our guests and players pays back big time for all the work.

Daily News Hungary (DNH): What are your plans for this year and next?

Uwe Zimmermann: We have more polo events scheduled this year, early October we invite for our traditional „Octoberfest Polo Cup“ were people are welcome to wear their „Dirndl and Lederhose“.

The next edition of our La Estancia Polo Cup will be held in 2025, and we already have new ideas and plans to surprise our guests.

In the meantime, our polo team travels during the season to various tournaments in Europe.

Zimmermann Family. La Estancia Polo Cup 2024, Etyek, Hungary.

Read also:

• La Estancia: we visited a professional polo club in Hungary