Polo has been the king's sport for thousands of years Tianjin Huanya Polo Sports Park

Dream Back to the Tang Dynasty Polo has been popular in the Central Plains as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty in China. In addition to horses, the main equipment of this form of sport is balls and sticks. Because this form of sport has strong competitive characteristics, it was popular in the Tang Dynasty when the economy and culture were extremely developed. Of course, this was also in line with the promotion of the rulers at that time, especially It is inseparable from the emperor's hobbies. Among the 21 emperors in the entire 289 years of the Tang Dynasty, 18 were polo enthusiasts.

Polo has been flourishing for 289 years since the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty promoted polo. Zhongzong of the Tang Dynasty invited the Tibetan envoys to watch the Han people play polo. Seeing that the Han people's playing skills were average, the envoys came forward to report to Tang Zhongzong that they wanted to compete with the Tang Dynasty polo team. Zhongzong agreed to Tibet's request to fight the Han people. After "Tubo all won" in several games, Tang Zhongzong sent four polo masters from the royal family, including Linzi King Li Longji (i.e. Tang Xuanzong), his consort Yang Shenjiao, and Wu Yanxiu, to fight against the ten Tubo men. After the start of the game, Li Longji was extremely fast on the court, hit the ball accurately, and was invincible. He penetrated the opponent's gate repeatedly and finally won a great victory.

After Tang Xuanzong ascended the throne, his polo addiction remained as strong as before. He went upstairs several times to watch the game. Thirty-five years after Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ascended the throne, he issued an edict stipulating that the army should practice polo, which also made polo and military sports become associated. Because Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was famous all over the world for his addiction to playing polo, a special envoy from the Kingdom of Khotan sent Emperor Xuanzong two horses specifically for playing polo. Because transportation was inconvenient at that time, it took at least half a year to travel from Khotan (now southern Xinjiang) to Chang'an, which was a long way. Among the emperors after Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Heng, Emperor Muzong of the Tang Dynasty, even died playing polo. After Mu Zong's death, Tang Jingzong and Li Zhan who succeeded him also played games day and night, and recruited some polo players from all over the country to play together and ignore state affairs, which aroused strong dissatisfaction among people and was eventually killed by Su Zuoming at the age of 18.

Among the several fan emperors in the Tang Dynasty, Li Xuan, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, had the highest football skills. He can hit the ball "every time he holds the juzhan and takes advantage of the momentum to run forward, move the jujube in the air, hit hundreds in a row while the horse gallops, and is as fast as lightning. A two-year veteran is convinced of his ability." Later, Tang Xizong actually came up with the idea of ??"betting on three rivers by hitting the ball". When he and four ministers hit the ball together, "the one who gets the ball first and hits the goal wins, and the one who wins first gets the first prize." In the end, Minister Jing won the position of Mikawa Jiedushi by winning. Although this incident is absurd, it also shows how fanatical polo playing had developed at that time. Tang Zhaozong Li Ye was the last emperor of the Tang Dynasty and Zhu Quanzhong's puppet. When he was forced by Zhu Quanzhong to move the capital to Luoyang, all six armies fled. Despite his embarrassment, he still took a dozen polo players with him, which shows how obsessed with polo the Tang Dynasty court was at that time.

Polo in ancient China began in the Tang Dynasty and continued until the Ming Dynasty for more than 1,000 years. Many stories have been interpreted and many poems have been handed down. Unfortunately, the polo craze during the Tang Dynasty has gradually disappeared since the late Qing Dynasty, with the spread of Western culture eastward and the impact of the introduction of modern Western sports. Today, the polo sport played in our country is also introduced from the West.

Going to the world

In ancient Persia, people called polo chaugan (a mallet), and the current English name polo comes from the Tibetan word pulu, which means a kind of Rhizome (early wooden polo was made from rhizome), which fully illustrates the origin of polo and the Chinese. Although polo was introduced to France as early as the Crusades in 1200, polo really took root in Europe in the mid-19th century, when British planters discovered it in Assam, northeastern India. took the sport and brought it to England. Soon, Silchar, the capital of the Cachar region, became the birthplace of modern polo, and the Silchar Club, founded in 1859, became the oldest polo club in the world. The participating teams in the polo match initially had 9 players per team. After continuous development, they became today's 4 players.

In 1869, polo was introduced to England and gradually became popular, and Wellingham Club became the center of British polo. The club formulated the first polo rules in the UK in 1875 (India The Polo Association was also founded at the same time; but it was not until World War II that they established their own polo rules). The first polo (regiment) intra-regiment championship was held in England in 1878, and the National Pony Association, which aimed to promote the breeding of polo horses, was also established in 1893.

With the formulation of rules, polo has rapidly spread to other countries and regions around the world, especially some Commonwealth countries, especially Argentina, which has become the largest breeder and exporter of horses used in polo matches. In 1876, James Gordon Bennett (a famous adventurous American publisher, later known as the father of American polo) introduced polo to the United States. The international polo competition began in 1886 when the British team competed against the American team for the West Chester Cup. Before the Argentinian team came along, the American team was the best team at the time. After 1945, the Argentinian team has dominated international competitions. It is the winner of all American Cup polo matches and the only world champion. At that time, Argentina had 3,000 active players, the United States had 1,000, and the United Kingdom had 500.

Polo was also an Olympic sport. It appeared in the Olympics five times from 1900 to 1936. However, it was eventually canceled due to the small number of participating countries and the large gap in the level of players. Nonetheless, this has not stopped polo from becoming an increasingly popular international sport. Today, whether it is a summer event in Wellingham, an autumn event in Buenos Aires, or a winter event in Palm Beach, Florida, there are 30-40 teams from Asia, Europe, Africa, and North and South America. Participate. Each game attracts thousands of spectators. With the advent of the indoor polo hall, polo fans' desire to play polo all year round has come true. Teams can play polo on all-weather venues without being restricted by the seasons on grass courts.

Sports of Kings

Although major polo events in the world have top sponsors such as Cartier, Piaget, Royal Salute, etc., what every player pursues is not Prize money and glory, they just enjoy the purest joy brought by polo on the court, enjoy the teamwork at high speed, enjoy the chase after swinging the ball, and enjoy the joy of every goal. In fact, polo is a sport that anyone can participate in. Whether you are a sponsor, a fan, or a horse owner, as long as you have certain riding skills and a passionate heart, you can play polo. ball.

Currently, there are more than 600 polo clubs around the world, distributed in more than 30 countries around the world, and their number is constantly increasing. More than 50 countries around the world have held polo events, which are regulated by international legally recognized organizations (International Polo Association and International Equestrian Institute) and have the same rules worldwide. The Polo World Cup is held regularly in different countries every three years. Although the sport of polo has certain dangers, it is still loved by European royal families and leaders of various countries. Celebrities who are obsessed with polo include British Crown Prince Charles and his two princes, Prince Sudan and many international film and television stars. The famous Argentinian football player Batistuta engaged in polo after retiring, which is also a unique style in the polo world. Britain, the host nation of the 2012 Olympics, is working hard to return polo to the Olympics.