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In 2025, Will Polo Still Be The Sport Of The Happy Few?

By Cécilia Pelloux06 mars 2025

Although its history dates back more than 2,500 years, polo remains little known and is reserved for intimate circles. However, tournament organizations outside the traditional strongholds exist today. Can polo find new audiences?

Since the first Americas Cup, Argentina has become the undisputed master of international polo. Above, the Argentina Alegria polo team (DR)

Polo, which is older than the history of sport itself, originated in Persia 2,500 years ago. However, it was not until the end of the 19th century that British officers introduced it to England. Seven years later, James Gordon Bennet, a well-known newspaper publisher, imported the sport to the United States. In Argentina, it was a little later, between the 1920s and 1930s, that it experienced a rise. Since the first America's Cup between these two nations, Argentina has become the undisputed master of international polo.

The best teams that regularly win in Argentina, America, England, and Spain have the best equestrian organizations

Fred Mannix, captain of the Alegria polo team

As polo became more professional, the business associated with it also grew. ‘The best teams that regularly win in Argentina, America, England, and Spain have the best equestrian organizations, and they compete, year after year, with the world's top players,’ explains Fred Mannix, captain of the Alegria polo team. ’The same goes for the policies and procedures of the organizations; they invest in the best horses and players because they want results.’ In addition, women's polo has been growing strongly over the past decade, particularly in Argentina and the United States. In this regard, the United States Polo Association (USPA) annual report published in 2024 attests to the record number of women's tournaments organized and the number of women registered with the USPA.

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In Switzerland, two major tournaments are organized yearly: the snow polo tournament in St. Moritz in January and the Hublot Polo Gold Cup in Gstaad at the end of August. ‘We started this event by watching the matches on hay bales; today, this tournament is an international event. Hublot has been our main sponsor for 18 years. The sponsors flock in every year, and we have a budget of one million francs for the weekend,’ explains Pierre Genecand, president of the Gstaad Polo Club, which has been organizing the tournament for 20 years. ’The standard has improved over the last ten years, both in breeding in Argentina, among the riders, and, of course, in the protection and care given to the horses.’

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