It’s a sport with decidedly royal connections – Britain’s Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry are all regular players. In fact, polo originated in Central Asia, where kings and emperors in Persia and the Byzantine Empire played; the modern game was developed in India, and was a huge favourite with the maharajas. Today, it is played professionally in 18 countries, including Argentina and Britain. China’s Tianjin hosted the Snow Polo World Cup in January, while Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore all organise top- quality tournaments with professional players from Europe and Argentina. Could Hong Kong soon be joining them?

 

EEM’s desire to encourage Hong Kong audiences to discover polo comes to fruition this year. Partnering with Shanghai Tang, Longines Masters is bringing the best in polo – players and horses – to the local community. The competition takes place as a form of arena-polo that is both smaller and more intimate than the traditional field version.

 

Chantilly Polo Club, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, is sending eight horses. Local players are being invited to qualify to participate alongside professionals from three continents, including French No.1 and six-goaler(referring to his playing handicap) Brieuc Rigaux; Australian six-goaler Dirk Gould; Britain’s Georges Meyrick; and Nico Curto, the Argentinean five-goaler. The action promises to be fast and furious—an unmissable event!