Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ball through the opposing team's goal. Each team has four mounted riders, and the game usually lasts one to two hours, divided into periods called chukkas or "chukkers".
At the 1908 Summer Olympics, a polo tournament was contested. It was the second time the sport had been featured at the Olympics, with 1900 being its first appearance. The venue was the Hurlingham Polo Grounds in London. The Hurlingham Club presented a Challenge Cup to the winner of the tournament, which consisted of three teams. All three teams represented the British Olympic Association, with two from England and one from Ireland. The two English teams played each first, with the winner playing against the Irish team. Roehampton won both games, taking the gold medal, while the other two teams did not face each other to break the tie for second place.
The Hurlingham Club is an exclusive private social and athletic club located in the Fulham area of London, England. Founded in 1869, it has a Georgian-style clubhouse set in 42 acres (17 ha) of grounds. It is a member of the Association of London Clubs.
The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) is the governing body for polo in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United Arab Emirates and many other countries. The Federation of International Polo produces the International Rules of Polo through a cooperative agreement with the Hurlingham Polo Association, the Asociacion Argentina de Polo, and the United States Polo Association.
Claire Janet Tomlinson was an English polo player and pony breeder. She was the highest-rated female polo player and coached the English national team she once captained.
The Guards Polo Club is an English polo club in Windsor, Berkshire. It was most closely associated with the British Royal Family. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was President of the club from its formation on 25 January 1955 until his death in April 2021. Queen Elizabeth II was its patron.
The International Polo Cup, also called the Newport Cup and the Westchester Cup, is a trophy in polo that was created in 1886 and is played for by teams from the United States and England. Matches were conducted 12 times between 1886 and 1939, suspended during World War II, and not revived until 1992 due to changing times and interests. Originally contested as a best-of-three series, single-game matches have been held since the event was revived. The most recent match was held in March 2023 at the National Polo Center in Wellington, Florida, won by the English team.
Ham Polo Club is a Hurlingham Polo Association polo club situated in Richmond in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, south-west London, England. It is one of the oldest polo clubs in the United Kingdom and the last surviving club in London. The club occupies a location between Richmond Park and the River Thames overlooked by Ham House, eight miles from Hyde Park Corner. The club's facilities include three polo fields, a stick and ball field, an exercise track, livery service, coaching and a members' clubhouse with a restaurant and bar which is managed by Blue Strawberry Group. Polo is played at Ham Polo Club between May and September. The club has around 70 playing members and several hundred social members.
William Francis Walsh (1907–1992) was an Irish polo player. He is regarded as one of the three key figures in the post war revival of the sport of polo in the United Kingdom. He single-handedly restarted Ham Polo Club in 1946.
The Dubai Polo Team is one of the most successful polo teams of all time, playing at the highest level globally. The Dubai Polo Team has bases in UK, Spain, USA, Argentina and Dubai.
Captain Charles Thomas Irvine "Pat" Roark (1895–1939) was an English polo player. He held a ten goal handicap at the peak of his career.
Roehampton Club is a private members’ sports club in southwest London, England. It is set in 100 acres (400,000 m2) of parkland, close to Richmond Park. Originally established in 1901 as an officers’ polo club, Roehampton Club has sporting and leisure facilities including an 18-hole golf course, 28 tennis courts, two padel tennis courts, six squash courts, four croquet lawns, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a gym, a fitness studio, a health and beauty clinic and a bridge room.
West Wycombe Park Polo Club is an HPA-affiliated polo club, playing on grounds in England, set within the West Wycombe Park Estate.
The Kolanka Cup is a polo trophy awarded in India. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the "tallest sports trophy in the world". It is named after the Rajah of Kolanka Sri Rajah Rao Pradyumna Krishna Mahipati Suryarao Bahadur who got it made as a polo player under his own team name, the Kolanka team. The Rajah of Kolanka was the 4th Raja Kumara of venkatagiri i.e. he was the fourth son of the 29th Raja of Venkatagiri and the grandson of Rajagopala Krishna Yachendra of Venkatagiri and was adopted by the childless Rani of Kolanka.
Ali Albwardy is a businessman from Dubai.
The Oxford University Polo Club is the Discretionary Full Blue sports club for competitive polo at Oxford University. Founded in 1874, it is one of the four oldest continuing polo clubs worldwide. Its annual Varsity Match against Cambridge University Polo Club, established in 1878, is the second oldest continuing polo fixture in the Western world. It is played at Guards Polo Club, England, usually at the beginning of June.
The Varsity Polo Match is an annual polo match between the Oxford University Polo Club and the Cambridge University Polo Club, played between teams of four players. Historically it was known as the inter-University Challenge Cup or inter-Varsity polo match. It is also known as the Oxford-Cambridge Polo Match or by a title that includes the name of its current sponsor. Members of both teams are traditionally known as Blues, with Oxford in dark blue and Cambridge in light blue.
The Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club is a polo club located near Windsor, Berkshire and home to the Prince of Wales tournament - one of the most coveted high goal trophies in Polo. It is set in a 230-acre estate, one mile from Ascot Racecourse, and comprises six polo fields, an arena, clubhouse and a polo school. The club is also home to The Arena Gold Cup, the most prestigious winter season tournament and The Arena Polo Masters, currently the highest goal game played in the winter.
Polo in Nigeria is as old as the country, first played by European naval officers in the early years of the twentieth century. The game was introduced to Lagos in 1914 before spreading to Northern Nigeria.
Lagos Polo Club (LPC) is a polo club and event venue in Southwest Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria.
