Polo has not yet managed to reach a wide audience in the UK; after all, the only time most people see it is when Prince William has fallen off his pony
Polo has not yet managed to reach a wide audience in the UK; after all, the only time most people see it is when Prince William has fallen off his pony and the newspapers have something to report with glee. That’s about to change, as the sport of kings (or in William’s case, king-but-one) comes to the O2, the arena more associated with Take That than ten-goal.
The Gaucho International Polo in February 2011 will bring top players like Nacho Figueras and Oscar Mancini to London for a day of matches – including the Varsity polo competition and England vs Argentina (only three players a side thanks to the size of the arena).
Martin Williams, marketing and operations director of the Gaucho restaurant chain, which is sponsoring the event, said polo has none of its exclusive connotations in Argentina, where – thanks to the profusion of ponies – anyone can jump up and play. ‘We’re trying to capture the essence of Argentina in polo and bring it to London in a more traditional form.’