At the very least, polo is known for being a sport based on horseback where the aim is to score goals against the opposing team.
It is a highly skilled game where players hold a mallet in the attempt to drive a small plastic ball into the opposing teams goal, but what else is there to the game, and does it have Olympic history?
Traditionally played on grass, the pitch is much larger than that of a football field; almost 3 times the length and over twice as wide.
Each team has 4 players numbered 1 to 4 with each game lasting approximately 2 hours. This is divided into periods, better known as Chukkas.
So what about the history of this great sport? It was introduced as an Olympic sport (where it initially featured in the Summer Olympics in 1900), however it was removed in 1936 after a further 4 events.
It was a relatively successful event for Great Britain at the Olympics, culminating in a haul of two gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze medal over the five events.
There has been a push in recent years to get the sport reinstated as an Olympic sport. This has so far been unsuccessful, thought to be (in part) due to the sport not being accessible to the masses.
This is something that the governing bodies are working hard to address, and can be seen at a grass roots level with the board of Schools and Universities Polo (SUPA for short) subsiding membership to make the sport more financially accessible.
Where do we fit in with Polo?
Scimitar are now working directly with SUPA on producing high quality polo kit for schools and universities, benefitting from our premium sublimation printing methods.
This partnership has emerged to provide differing polo kit packages that are competitively priced. We are helping to drive the cost of the sport down by providing custom polo kit that is accessible and bank account friendly.
If you are a polo enthusiast playing for either your school or university, get in touch for a quote today (call us on 01905 425324 or email us at sales@scimitarsports.com) or visit our dedicated polo kit page.
We’d be happy for you to benefit from our preferential pricing agreement as part of the Scimitar/SUPA partnership; working together to make polo a sport for everyone.
So, will polo once again become an Olympic sport?
It’s going to be difficult, with the likes of bowling, karate, squash and surfing all believing they are worthy of a berth. That being said, the sport is certainly moving in the right direction and we plan on helping teams increase participation as much as we can.
