The sight of vast crowds flooding the streets of Buenos Ares to celebrate Argentina’s victory in the football World Cup might give some the impression that there is only one sport anyone in Argentina is interested in, but polo lovers know this is anything but the case.
The history of polo in Argentina is a lengthy one. While the sport was introduced to the country by the British in the 1870s, it gained a level of populism in the country that was never emulated back in the UK. While both countries have always loved football, in Britain the term ‘sport of kings’ has always belonged to horse racing. In Argentina, the biggest thing to do on horseback is play polo.
Whether because of the suitability of the vast pampas landscapes for breeding horses or the fact that other sports played by the British like cricket never took off (though rugby has), polo has become a mass spectator sport, with tens of thousands watching the big tournaments, even if it is largely played by the wealthy while the masses kick a football.
Right through to this day some of the best and most celebrated polo players in the world are from Argentina, including 17 of the top 20 in the World Polo rankings. Players like Adolfo Cambiaso Snr, Adolfo Cambiaso Jr, Facundo Pieres and Juan Martin Nero may not be household names in some countries, but they are well-known in Argentina.
Of course, there is one difference with football, which has its World Cup and international club competitions like the Champions League to elevate the profile of stars like Lionel Messi. Polo used to be an Olympic sport on and off between 1900 and 1936, with Argentina being the reigning gold medallists, but sadly the platform has never been restored.
That might mean the dominance of the world polo scene by Argentina goes under the radar in some parts of the world, but there is no chance of that on the pampas, however much the success of the country’s footballers has been celebrated.
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