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POLO HISTORY
The
origins of polo are not quite clear yet it is thought to have originated
in Persia around the 6th Century bc. The name comes from
“pulu” or ball in Tibetan. Many historians believe this sport comes from
Persian tribes previous to the times of Darius I, The Great, year
521-485bc and the founding of the second Persian Empire. Persian
literature and art are certainly the most important registers of the
practice of Polo in the old days. The most famous Persian poet and
historian, Ferdowsi gives an account of Royal Polo tournaments in his
epic work ( Shahnameh )dating back to the 9th Century. Some
people hold though, that it was the Chinese who first practiced the
sport but the oldest record by Ferdowsi mentions a match between
Turanian forces followers and Syavoush a legendary Persian prince. The
poem stresses clearly Syavoush’s habilities for the game and also
mentions Emperor Sapour II who learned the sport when he was only seven
years old.
In
countries like China, Polo became a royal entertainment for many
centuries. It was probably introduced in China by the Persian Nobility
who went there looking for political asylum after the Arab invasion of
their territories. In many Chinese coats of arms, a Polo hammer can be
seen and a sport became a part of daily life during the Golden Era of
Chinese culture under Ming-Hung who was a lover of equestrian
activities.
For over twenty centuries Polo was one of the favourite
pastimes of Asian rulers. Queens practiced it as well as the Nobility in
general and the warrior class. For those who were not Persian, Polo was
the closest they came to having a National sport from Japan to Egypt and
from India to the Byzantine Empire. With the fall of the great Oriental
Kingdoms, Polo was only practiced in remote villages.
Polo reached the
West through Manipur a North Eastern Indian State. According to
historical registers, a British Government representative who had
settled in Manipur wrote a brief description of the sport which
contributed to it being spread to other countries. Afterwards, Polo
would reach the Americas and become quite popular in Argentina, Brazil,
Chile, Mexico and the United States. James Gordon Bennett was the first
person to organize a Polo match in the USA.
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