The Sport of Kings
Age breeds prestige, so it is no wonder that polo, the “Sport of Kings”, is the oldest ball game known to man.
Most people think of polo as a folly for the British and Argentinean elite, but the truth is, the sport was first played in Persia (Iran) as far back as the 2,500 years ago. Originally it was used as a training game for cavalry units. It gained its exclusivity right from the onset, since it was a privilege reserved for the king’s guard or other elite troops.
Back then, polo was almost a mini battle, with as many as 100 players to a side. Over the years, it has morphed into the sport we know today, with four players on a team vying to score as many goals as possible in the six seven-and-a-half minute chukkas that make up a match.
While the rules of the game may have changed immensely, two and a half millennia later, one thing hasn’t changed at all: The polo field remains a playground for the rich and famous. Many people scoff at the snobbery of the sport, but it is unlikely to change anytime soon, mainly because polo is hellishly expensive. It is such a high intensity sport, that each player has to have more than one (usually thoroughbred) horse – in fact, most players have four to six horses. This is so that the player can swap horses between each chukka, to allow them to rest.
And polo is not just tough on the horses. It has always been a contender for the title of the world’s most difficult sport, with its requisites of extreme hand-eye co-ordination and solid horsemanship making even minimal proficiency a hard earned success. Polo is also rated as one of the three most dangerous sports in the world. With a hard plastic ball flying at speeds of up to 250 km/h, frenzied horses and swinging mallets, the players have to keep a pretty cool head and a firm eye, so as not to get caught in the middle of a very unpleasant pile-up.
Despite the physical risks and economic barriers, polo has been gaining popularity since the 1980s. Every December the famous Argentine Open in Buenos Aires – which is considered the most prestigious polo tournament in the world – attracts over 30,000 spectators, and locally the polo calendar adds new events every year. As can be imagined, polo crowds are a rather well-heeled lot, and the highlight of the matches tends to be half time, when spectators are invited onto the field to participate in a polo tradition called “divot stamping”. This has two functions: The official one is to help replace the mounds of earth (divots) that are torn up by the horses’ hooves, but the real function is to allow the stylish crowd to see and be seen.
Polo has had a number of advocates over its long history, but one of the most vocal had to be Winston Churchill. When he was just 20 years old, Churchill was sent to India as part of his military training, but the young soldier saw virtually no action and spent much of his time playing polo instead. Even with a chronic injury to his right arm, Churchill refused to quit and, despite the fact that polo has to be played right-handed, he famously managed to score two goals with a pretty much unusable arm at the 1899 Regimental Cup. Small wonder, then, that the man known for his turn of phrase once remarked: “No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.”
Nowadays polo is played professionally in 16 countries, and while Argentina is recognised as the Mecca of the sport, it has been kicking up quite a storm in South Africa too. It has been played for over a century locally, and currently there are 38 clubs with about 400 registered players in the country. The South African Polo Association (SAPA) is constantly trying to up this number, and they offer courses and bursaries for young players who may not be able to afford the hefty fees that come with the sport.
For the real pros, there are several world class polo venues and tournaments in South Africa. The Inanda Club in Johannesburg and the Durban Shongweni Club host the annual BMW International Polo Series, as well as regular test matches throughout the year, while the Kurland International Test Match has become a highlight of the December social scene on the Garden Route.
So if you are craving some adventure in the New Year, there is no shortage of opportunities when it comes to polo. The thought of injury and bankruptcy may scare you off, but for the faint-hearted, being a spectator always makes for a fun day out. After all, what could be better than sunshine and the taste of Pimms and lemonade, accompanied by the pleasing smack of ball on mallet?
Story by Bob Truda
