London Mayor, Boris Johnson, has backed plans to return the sport of polo to central London for the first time since 1939.
Under the plans, a new tournament, will take place at Hurlingham Park between June 4 and June 7, 2009. The tournament, which is organised by World Polo Ltd, will feature a minimum of six polo teams, representing cities across the world such as London, Paris, New York, Sydney, Buenos Aries and Mumbai. The teams will compete in a series of matches to win the Polo in the Park trophy.
Speaking to reporters, Johnson, said: “It’s 70 years since a polo match was last played at Hurlingham and it is an exciting prospect to see the sport return to central London. Polo in the Park will add to the wealth of sporting activities that Londoners can enjoy and I hope inspire people to take up this fast-paced and exhilarating sport.”
Following the first event in London, World Polo Ltd’s professional polo league will roll out a series of additional tournaments. The tournaments will be played in iconic city locations around the world with the organisers aiming to host events in 10 different cities by 2012. Cities currently under consideration include Paris, New York, Sydney, Moscow and Dubai.
Polo in the Park is managed by sports marketing agency IMG.
