Is a Polo match produced by famed security-breachers Tareq and Michaele Salahi sponsored by security contractor Blackwater? That’s what the website for the 2010 America’s Cup Polo event claims.
There are reasons to believe this may not be so, since Blackwater has changed its name to U.S. Training, Xe Services, and perhaps other pseudonyms. Blackwater (U.S. Training) has not responded to our inquiry about the polo match. We have heard from several other “sponsors” claimed by the event, and they echo this email:
I am writing in response to your question about the America’s Cup Polo Event. The U.S. Embassy is not a sponsor of this event. We will contact the organizers to correct their website.
Thanks,
Elizabeth Fitzsimmons
Spokesperson
Embassy New Delhi
[Update: The embassy was removed from the “”Partner/Sponsor” page today; not so other known non-sponsors like the Old Town Crier and Washington Flyer Magazine].
The Salahis did this sort of thing in prior years, when their event was held in Virginia and Maryland. The memories may have faded but the lawsuits continue. The 2010 event features India, but the Indian Embassy withdrew from participation back in December.
There are some in Washington who claim the June 11-12 polo event, slated for National Park land near the Potomac, may not have the required permit, and that seemed to be the case as of May 12th. At the risk of seeming ungracious, we will look into it.
If the America’s Cup Polo event actually occurs, tickets will run you $150 to $200. Too steep? Maybe you can salahi your way in.
In the meantime, watch out for Mr. and Mrs. Salahi’s limo. It’s been cruising through red lights as the couple travels from parties to depositions to publicity events for their reality TV show.
The absolute best Salahi reporting in the universe is by Andrea Rodgers.
Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
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Tags: Americas Polo Cup, Blackwater, celebrities, Michaele Salahi, polo, Salahi, scandal, Tariq Salahi
NotionsCapital 
May 21, 2010 at 5:34 pm
UPDATE: We have confirmed an actual sponsor of this event, Toronto’s Dolce Vita magazine.
June 10, 2010 at 8:08 am
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