Polo

Polo is a traditional field sport played on horseback using sticks and a ball.

Often called "The Sport of Kings," it is a high-skill game that requires mastery of horse riding. Because players face risks like falling from their horses, they must be physically strong and active. Today, the game is a major spectator sport for equestrians and high society. It is supported by various sponsorships and is played professionally in 16 different countries. The Federation of International Polo currently includes over 100 member countries worldwide.

To play the game, participants use long sticks known as mallets.

In the traditional style found in Manipur, India, the equipment is quite specific. The sticks are crafted from cane, and the balls are made from bamboo roots. Players do not use goal posts to score points in this version. Instead, a player scores by hitting the ball out of either end of the field. Players are not allowed to carry the ball with them. However, they are permitted to block the ball using any part of their body except the open hand. To protect themselves, players often attach leather shields to their saddles and girths.

There are different ways to play polo depending on the region and rules. In Manipur, the game is played with seven players on each side. These players ride the indigenous Manipuri Pony, which stands less than 1.47 meters tall. This style is much faster than the version played in 19th-century England. The older English version was slow and methodical. It featured very little passing between players and few set plays. In that era, neither the players nor the horses were trained for a fast, non-stop game. This earlier style required fewer equestrian skills and was less aggressive than the modern game.

Polo is one of the oldest known team sports in history. It originated as Chovgan in the greater Iran region and central Asia over two millennia ago.

During the Sasanian Empire, which lasted from 224 to 651 CE, the game was a vital pastime for the court. It was even part of the royal education for the ruling class. For example, Emperor Shapur II began learning polo at the age of seven in 316 CE. The sport was a national game played by both men and women. Because of its deep roots, UNESCO has recognized Chovgan as Iran’s intangible cultural heritage.

As time passed, the game spread across the globe through various empires and trade routes. It reached Constantinople, where Emperor Theodosius II built a polo ground in the 5th century. The game moved south to Arabia, India, and Tibet. It likely traveled via the Silk Road to China during the Tang dynasty. In China, women played the game while wearing male dress. The sport also saw great patronage under the Mongol rulers of Persia and the Safavid dynasty. In the 17th century, King Abbas I even built the Naqsh-i Jahan Square in Isfahan to serve as a polo field.

The modern version of polo grew significantly through contact with British influence in India. In 1859, a European polo club was established in Silchar, Assam. English tea planters had learned the game from people in Manipur. Later, in 1862, the Calcutta Polo Club was founded by two British soldiers. This was the oldest polo club still in existence. The British are credited with spreading the game worldwide during the late 19th century. In 1874, the Hurlingham Polo Association in the United Kingdom established the first formal British rules. Polo was also featured as an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1936.

Many nations have developed their own famous polo traditions. Argentina is a major center for the sport, where it became very popular among gauchos. The sport spread through the Argentine pampas via immigrants from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England. Argentina has seen great Olympic success, winning gold medals in 1924 and 1936. In the United States, James Gordon Bennett Jr. organized the first recorded match in 1876. Today, the sport remains a global activity that connects ancient traditions with modern professional competition.