Simply Abu Dhabi XXVI

1 9 7 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Mr Ron Wahid of RJI Capital shakes hands with HH Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak al Nahyan at BPD Abu Dhabi. Sam Churchill Amember of the VistaJet polo teamwinds up for a big shot during BPD Abu Dhabi. The VistaJet Polo Team line up before their match under the floodlights at BPD Abu Dhabi. A player on the Chelsea Barracks polo team races down the floodlit pitch during the evening match of BPD Abu Dhabi. B ear Grylls launched the proceedings in spectacular fashion and was joined by some 200 guests and VIPs including HH Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, British Ambassador to UAE Philip Parham, Earl of Tyrone Richard Le Poer, Nasser Al Shamsi, Abdullah bin Desmal and Faris Al Yabhouni who came together to celebrate the best of UAE and British traditions. The UK/UAE Year of Creative Collaboration was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of AbuDhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and the Prince of Wales in October 2016, with HH Sheikh Nahyan binMubarak Al Nahyan giving a stirring speech stating the aims of increasing the visibility of the UK in the UAE and vice versa in order to give greater focus, depth and contemporary relevance to the long-standing relationship between the two nations. The unique cultural programme has been initiated to strengthen existing relationships and broker new ones between people, institutions and businesses. The British Polo Days in the UAE provide such a platform with the best of British and the UAE on display, with Harrods, Bentley, Royal Salute and Hackett all supporting. There was also an opportunity to introduce our new global partner Chelsea Barracks, the exceptional new neighbourhood development incorporating five new garden squares in Belgravia, London. Other new partners included VistaJet and YPI Luxury Yachts, further cementing the British Polo Day community. This spectacular event took place, for the 7th year, at the Ghantoot Racing & Polo Club, the private royal polo ground of HH Sheikh Falah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The glamorous black-tie evening kicked off with a bicycle polo demonstration, a sport played in the Olympics over 100 years ago, with players from the regiments of Cavalry and Guards competing in Bentley and Intercontinental Hotel Abu Dhabi Teams respectively for the Thesiger Trophy. Next, Stuart Wrigley captained the Oxbridge team, sponsored by Chelsea Barracks, against the Abu Dhabi team, sponsored by VistaJet, with the hosts coming up victorious.