CLOSE UP SOCIETY
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to have been able to host the Engel & Völkers Polo Cup once again. It is a special event that I like to share with my friends who are as passionate about polo as I am,” said Christian Völkers, CEO of Engel & Völkers AG, at the close of the 2017 tournament. Over 700 guests – more than in each of the eight previous years – accepted the invitation to spend three days at his private estate on the southwestern coast of the island of Mallorca. What a logistical achievement it must have been to bring all those people, ponies and equipment down the serpentine roads to “Son Coll.” But it was definitely worth it: the polo field here is regarded as one of the best in Europe and boasts a magnificent view of the Mediterranean. Polo is becoming more and more popular every year here on Mallorca, and the annual E&V Cup is one of biggest events on the social and sporting calendar. The tournament always takes place on three consecutive days. This past summer, four teams of three played against each other in a competition involving a grand total of 50 polo ponies. Among the top international players who took part were Bautista Bayugar (handicap +6), Adrián Laplacette (handicap +6), Christopher Winter (handicap +3) and Sacha Pictet (handicap +1). The tournament host Christian Völkers climbed into the saddle himself and played for Team Engel & Völkers. The New Folies took home the Polo Cup Trophy after winning the tournament. “I was particularly pleased to see so many enthusiastic and talented young polo players taking part,” said Christian Völkers. Once again, Engel & Völkers Charity, which in May 2009 started an elementary school in Togo, West Africa, held a fundraiser for the project, selling jewelry by Maria Sole Ferragamo, the daughter of the Italian designer Leonardo Ferragamo, as well as pieces by the local Mallorcan jewelry brand La Morenita to support the school.
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am very proud
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1 Christian Völkers, Ninon Völkers, Maria Sole Ferragamo and Leonardo Ferragamo 2 Time for a chat on the edge of the polo field 3 Felix von Saucken, Princess Bettina Wittgenstein and Christian Philipp Völkers 4 Ninon Völkers presented the trophy to the winning team at the 2017 Engel & Völkers Polo Cup 5 Christian Evers and Natascha Israel 6 Ina Schlüter and Tinka Widenmann (Engel & Völkers Charity) 7 Jordan Hewson, the daughter of U2 singer Bono, with actor Diego Osorio 8 Count Dominik Stauffenberg, Baroness Tatjana Rukavina, Esteban Mercer 9 Antonia Crespí and Baron Constantin of Dalwigk (Engel & Völkers Private Office) 10 Diana and Philip Harari 11 Agatha Herrero with Princess Anna of Oettingen-Wallerstein 12 Christian and Ninon Völkers, the welcoming hosts of the tournament at “Son Coll.”
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TEXT: UTA ABENDROTH; PHOTOS: KARL GRANT
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12 www.gg-magazine.com