The 2012 Snow Polo World Cup team draw has also been made.

This promises to be the largest Snow Polo tournament in the world. Twelve teams from 11 nations and one Special Administrative Region, fielded from each polo association, have been invited to take part, namely Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, England, France, Hong Kong SAR, India, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA. All are members of Federation of International Polo (FIP).

The FIP Snow Polo World Cup is also the first ever Snow Polo event to be hosted by the FIP. Established in 1982 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, FIP aims to promote and enhance the sport of polo globally and unite national polo associations across the world.

Metropolitan Polo Club hosted Asia's first Snow Polo Challenge in February 2011, which attracted more than 7000 spectators. The 2012 FIP Snow Polo World Cup is expected to take the game to a completely new level.

At the announcement for the event, FIP Founder and former President Marcos Uranga and FIP's Tournament Director Peter Abisheganaden were joined by representatives from Tianjin Municipal Government and the Tianjin Sports Bureau to herald the historic moment. Flying in especially for the team draw were representatives from the 12 participating teams.

Against the spectacular backdrop of this winter wonderland, the 2012 FIP Snow Polo World Cup will offer private boxes from which the thrilling polo matches can be viewed.

Families and children can enjoy a wealth of dining experiences with musical entertainment in the winter playground. At the venue there will also be a winter shopping village and plenty of winter games for all ages, guaranteeing an unforgettable experience for spectators of all ages.

Harvey Lee, Vice Chairman of Goldin Group (parent company of Metropolitan Polo Club) said: "We are delighted to have the 2012 FIP Snow Polo World Cup here in Tianjin. This tournament will bring polo to a much wider audience. We would like to thank the Tianjin Municipal Government, FIP, Tianjin Sports Bureau, Tianjin Polo Association as well as all the international representatives and guests.

"I am very confident that the FIP Snow Polo World Cup will become an annual event here in Tianjin and I hope to see many more events of this kind at Metropolitan Polo Club which will bring more attention to Tianjin, further raising its international profile."

Snow Polo first emerged in Europe as a winter alternative to grass polo and the sport spread to the USA.

The major difference with grass polo is that instead of a white ball made of ballistic plastic the Snow Polo ball is a large bright orange ball which is easier to spot on the snow.

Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club currently features two standard size polo fields, stabling for 157 horses, all weather training facilities, a riding school and a luxurious Club House and 167-room resort-style Hotel. The state-of-the-art equestrian facilities are supervised by professionals from all over the world.

Apart from being the host venue of the 2012 inaugural FIP Snow Polo World Cup, major international fixtures on the club's annual calendar include various spring and autumn tournaments and matches for different levels of play from youth to professional.

Metropolitan Polo Club was opened in November 2010 as the sporting and social flagship of the "Goldin Metropolitan", a mega-development by Hong Kong-listed developer Goldin Properties Holdings Limited which will comprise three zones: a Central Business District, home to the 117-storey Goldin Finance Tower; the 898,000 square metre (222-acre) Metropolitan Polo Club and a low density luxury residential belt to be launched in the near future.

The Federation of International Polo (FIP), founded in 1982, is the international body governing the sport of polo recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and includes 59 National Federations as full members.

Representatives at the press conference for the announcement of the first-ever FIP Snow Polo World Cup Invitational Tournament next year: Back row, from left: (wearing floral buttonhole) Vikram Singh, FIP Ambassador for India; Alessandro Giachetti - FIP Ambassador for Italy; Gordon Gibson - Past President New Zealand Polo Association; Derek Reid - Director of Polo Operations, Metropolitan Polo Club; André Coutinho - Representating Confederação Brasileira de Polo; Benoît Perrier, Representating Fédération Française de Polo; Roderick Vere Nicoll - FIP Ambassador for England; Santiago Gaztambide - Member of the Chairman's Committee of the Asociación Argentina de Polo; and John Taylor - Director - Australian Polo Council. Seated from left at front: Harvey Lee - Vice Chairman of Goldin Group; Dr Richard Caleel - FIP Executive Committee Member, US Polo Association Representative; Marcos Uranga - Founder and Former President of FIP; Rowland Wong - President Metropolitan Polo Club and Hotel; and Peter Abisheganaden - FIP Tournament Director.