Polo

Lore & Background

Polo is a stick-and-ball sport played on horseback, making it one of the oldest known team sports. The outdoor version, known as field polo, takes place on a grass field measuring 300 by 160 yards. Indoor or arena polo is played on a smaller dirt surface of 300 by 150 feet. Players use wooden mallets to strike a ball between the opposing team’s goal posts while riding at speeds up to 35 miles per hour, demanding expert horsemanship.

A standard outdoor game lasts one and a half to two hours, with two teams of four players competing in four to eight seven-minute periods called chukkas or chukkers, during which riders may change horses. The team with the most goals wins. The game’s origins trace back to an equestrian contest called Chovgan, played in Persia and Central Asia from the 6th century BCE into the 1st century CE. Its modern form emerged in India before being adopted by the Western world.

Often referred to as "The Sport of Kings," polo has become a global spectator sport, particularly among equestrians and high society, supported by sponsorship. It was featured as an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1936. Today, over 100 countries are members of the Federation of International Polo, with professional play in 16 nations.

Middle Ages and Early Modern era

The English name comes from the Balti word for "ball," related to the Standard Tibetan term with the same meaning. The game was historically valuable for cavalry training and was played from Constantinople to Japan, and south into Arabia, India, and Tibet. In the Middle Ages, it was favored by elites in Egypt and the Levant, with sultans such as Saladin and Baybars known to play. Polo spread to South Asia by the 15th to 16th centuries and reached China via the Silk Road, where it was popular during the Tang dynasty, even among women.

Reader's Guide

Polo is a stick and ball game played on horseback, recognized as one of the oldest team sports. Its progenitor, an equestrian game called Chovgan, was played in Persia and Central Asia from the 6th century BCE to the 1st century CE. The modern form developed in India before being adopted by the Western world.

The English name derives from a Balti-language word for 'ball'. The game was a national sport in ancient Iran, played by both men and women, and was patronized by Parthian and Sasanian royalty. It was part of royal education for the Sasanian ruling class, with Emperor Shapur II learning it at age seven.

Valuable for training cavalry, polo spread from Constantinople to Japan by the Middle Ages, and also to Arabia, India, and Tibet. In Tang dynasty China, women played the sport, wearing male dress to do so. A polo ground was built in Constantinople by Emperor Theodosius II, and the game was played in the Abbasid and Safavid courts. In South Asia, it had a strong presence in northwestern areas of present-day Pakistan from at least the 15th century.

A European polo club was established in Silchar, India, in 1859. Often called "The Sport of Kings," polo is a spectator sport for equestrians and high society. It was an Olympic sport from 1900 to 1936, and today over 100 countries are members of the Federation of International Polo, with professional play in 16 countries.