As observed by the Argentine News Agency, the head of state descended onto the field, embraced Cambiaso, and posed for a series of photographs that went viral in the polo world. At that same moment, Pieres attempted to approach for a protocol greeting, but was ignored by a delegation focused in another direction. The Open Championship left an uncomfortable message: it is no longer enough to just compete; one must also maintain economic credit, institutional legitimacy, and closeness to power. #AgenciaNA They not only lost on the scoreboard: they were also displaced from the institutional and political scene organized around the figure of Cambiaso. President Javier Milei occupied the center of the box along with officials, advisors, and business leaders from the agricultural and financial sectors, transforming the event into a political gesture. To this picture was added the recent closure of their estate for organizing a tournament without a permit, a fact that pitted them against both control agencies and the Argentine Polo Association itself. The AAP was trapped in a structural tension: applying sanctions to Ellerstina implies breaking with one of the economic pillars of the circuit; not doing so can be interpreted as a privilege. Thus, the conflict ceases to be individual and becomes institutional. IP Pieres' early departure from the estate—before the awards ceremony and without waiting for his children to receive their medals—exposed more than a sporting frustration: it marked the retreat of a leader who feels he is losing ground on all fronts. The photo of the President with Cambiaso, and Pieres' absence, summarize this new order. Pieres closes a year with irregular results, increasing financial pressure, and a costly structure that demands the maintenance of relationships and sponsorships. Buenos Aires, December 12 (NA) – The final of the Argentine Open Polo Championship left something more than a result: it revealed, with clarity, how the power map within national polo is being reconfigured. While Adolfo Cambiaso was crowned both on and off the field, Gonzalo Pieres had an adverse night that went beyond the 17–13 defeat. The scene left him out of focus: without images, without contact, and without a place in the center of gravity that establishes hierarchies in that universe. The context accentuates this void.
