Leadership

For its first century and more as a modern sport, polo was without any worldwide organisation such as cricket, rugby and football had. The nearest thing to an international body was the Polo Committee of London’s Hurlingham Club and then its successor, the Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA). The majority of polo-playing countries around the world – those of the British Empire and later the Commonwealth, from Australia to South Africa to Barbados –were affiliated to Hurlingham, participating in its councils and playing under its rules.

Then along came one Marcos Uranga, an officer of the Argentine polo association, with a vision for a more all-inclusive global body. With the help of other like-minded internationalists, his dream became a reality, and in 2007 the Federation of International Polo (FIP) celebrated its Silver Jubilee in Buenos Aires where FIP had been born a quarter-century earlier.

The year 1982 was not the most auspicious one for the birth of a polo federation that chose Buenos Aires as its headquarters and an Argentine, Uranga, as its first president. The Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom, with almost 3,000 casualties including some 900 dead, had ended less than six months before the first organising meeting of the FIP in the Argentine capital in the autumn of that year. Because of the conflict, the HPA had banned Argentine polo players from competing on British soil and neither the HPA nor the national associations of other members of the British Commonwealth were prepared to join FIP in the beginning.

So the federation came into being with only 11 member countries. But, as Uranga says, ‘It depends on how you view life: was our glass at the start half empty or half full?’

Today, after 25 years under presidents Uranga, then Glen Holden of the US and now Patrick Guerrand-Hermès of France, the FIP glass is brimming with a heady blend of more than 80 nations, a well-established World Championship, scores of volunteer ‘Ambassadors’ who promote the growth of polo around the globe and recognition by the International Olympic Committee

1-3, 7 Posters from championships in Chantilly-Apremont (2004), USA (1998), Chile (1992) and Berlin (1989) 4 FIP founder Marcos Uranga with Allan Scherer and George Haas 5 Relaxing at the first meeting 6 Commemorative stamp for the Argentina championships (1987)

(IOC) as representing the sport worldwide.

The inspiration for FIP came in a roundabout way from football. In 1978 Argentina hosted the World Cup of the Fèdèration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Argentina’s other national sport, polo, took advantage of the soccer fever gripping the country to stage its own international event, dubbed by the press as the mundialito– little world cup. Twenty-six teams from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay competed at the 24-goal level. Uranga’s team from the Jockey Club of Buenos Aires won the tournament, but his victory was less significant than the ideas engendered.

Uranga was then vice-president of the Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP), becoming its president from 1982 to 1986. Initially he discussed his concepts for an international polo federation with his colleagues in the AAP. ‘Their reaction was very positive, even enthusiastic,’ he remembers, ‘and the idea got strong support from our council.’

Contact was made with other national polo associations and the AAP invited them to send delegates to an organising meeting in Buenos Aires in the autumn of 1982. Attending were representatives of Argentina, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Mexico, the USA, France, Italy, Spain, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. Argentina’s Jorge O’Farrell, an international lawyer, drafted constitution and bylaws, making the new federation a democratic body in which each country would have votes depending upon the number of active polo players registered with its national association. Membership would be open to all polo-playing nations. Thus was born the sport’s first truly global organisation.

One of FIP’s early innovations was the appointment of ‘Ambassadors’, volunteer promoters of the sport from various countries around the world. In 1985 one of the first Ambassadors, Californian Glen

Holden, organised the first of a series of Ambassador Cup tournaments at Eldorado Polo Club near Palm Springs. Over the years, there have been 61 FIP Ambassadors Cup events in various countries, including such exotic places as Mongolia. When it hosts an Ambassadors Cup tournament, a polo club provides all the ponies and two local players per side, teaming up with two Ambassadors. Ambassadors currently pay US$800 each to play in one of the competitions. The take from Ambassadors Cups in Brazil, England and Argentina in 2007 was just short of $60,000, more than 20 per cent of FIP’s income for the year.

There are now more than 70 Ambassadors from some 20 countries, each contributing to the FIP’s coffers through participation in Ambassadors Cup tournaments. ‘Our group of Ambassadors is one of the federation’s fundamental strengths,’ says current FIP president Patrick Guerrand-Hermès of France.

In its early years, FIP began organising modest international events, with junior competitions between teams from Argentina, the US, Brazil and Chile. Then, in 1987, the federation staged its first World Championship for a polo World Cup.

Recognising that only a handful of countries could field high-goal teams, the top end of the sport, FIP fixed its championship at the 10 to 14-goal level, with a maximum player handicap of five goals. As a result, no fewer than 36 countries have been able field teams in one or more of the championships.

FIP also took an innovative new approach to players’ mounts for its World Cup. As it would be expensive for national teams to bring their own mounts, sometimes halfway across the world, the federation introduced a ‘pony pool’ system. The host country provides ponies for all the competing teams, in graded pools from which each team draws ponies by lots. This system provides as near a level playing field as possible for mounts and also has the effect of emphasising the individual athletic skills of the players and teamwork over pony power.

As host country of the first FIP World Championship, Argentina pulled out all the stops to make it a success. The government even issued a new postage stamp to mark the event. AAP clubs arranged their schedules to leave a free day for the World Cup final in that ‘cathedral’ of the sport, the national polo stadium at Palermo. Five nations fought for the big trophy donated by India’s Maharajah of Jaipur. Argentina won gold, Mexico silver and Brazil bronze.

Berlin was the venue for the final stage of the second World Championship in 1989. By then the federation had established geographical zones in which national teams engaged in play-offs to qualify for the finals: Zone A, North and Central America and the Caribbean; B, South America; C, Europe; and D, Africa, Asia and Oceania.

England had still not yet joined FIP, but the federation nonetheless invited the HPA

to send a team to compete for the 1989 World Cup at Berlin’s Maifeld Stadium, where polo was last played in the 1936 Olympics. The USA narrowly defeated England to win gold, with Argentina coming third. The HPA’s then-president, Peter Thwaites, was so impressed with the World Cup organisation that, later in the year, he led his association to finally join FIP.

The next World Cup finals were played in 1992 at Santiago, Chile, with Argentina, Chile and England as medallists, and in 1995 at St Moritz, Switzerland, with Argentina, Brazil and Mexico the three top teams.

Marcos Uranga continued to serve as FIP president for almost 15 years. He retired, with the title Founder, in March 1997 when the General Assembly elected Ambassador Glen Holden of the USA to succeed him. Holden, a former US Ambassador to Jamaica and Governor of the Pacific Coast Circuit of the US Polo Association (USPA), moved FIP’s HQ to Beverly Hills in Los Angeles.

Uranga had already started discussions with the IOC about a return of polo to the Olympic Games. In 1998, with Holden as president, FIP consolidated its position by gaining the IOC’s outright recognition of polo as an Olympic sport, with FIP as its international representative body. FIP is now lobbying hard for inclusion of polo as a discipline in the 2016 Olympic Games.

To comply with IOC regulations, FIP has established the International Rules of Polo under which all federation events are played. The federation is working towards adoption of its Rules by all its member associations for their non-FIP competitions.

Three more World Cups were held under Holden’s presidency. Argentina, Brazil and England were the medallists at Santa Barbara, California, in 1998; Brazil, Australia and England at Melbourne, Australia, in 2001; and Brazil, England and Chile at Chantilly, France, in 2004.

In addition to its three-yearly World Championships, FIP holds a European 8Goal Championship, last won by Italy in The Netherlands, with the next competition scheduled for Germany this year. Various federation members also organise FIP youth competitions each year.

Holden retired as president in 2005, succeeded by Patrick Guerrand-Hermès, who moved the FIP headquarters to France. Currently serving under him as vicepresidents are the leaders of the three biggest national associations: HPA chairman Christopher Hanbury, USPA chairman Thomas Biddle, and AAP president Francisco Dorignac. Silvio Coutinho of Brazil is secretary of the federation and James Ashton of Australia its treasurer.

In November 2007, federation officers, national delegates and Ambassadors gathered in Buenos Aires to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of FIP. The festivities, organised by Founder Uranga,

1 FIP ambassadors at the 25th anniversary 2 (from left) Luis Olazabal, Antonio Juagerui, Emilio Granga, Jorge Garcia Arce, Pepe Valdez 3 (from left) Farouk Younes (Egypt), Francois Berger (Guatemala), Sylvio Coutinho (Brazil) 4 (from left) Glen Holden, Marcos Uranga and Patrick GuerrandHermès 5 The gala dinner

kicked off with Ambassador Cup matches at the AAP’s grounds at Pilar outside the capital and at adjacent Pilara, a new sports and residential development opened in November last year. The climax of the celebrations was a grand Silver Jubilee gala attended by some 450 guests.

During the FIP annual General Assembly, five new countries were welcomed to membership: Hungary, Panama, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, which rejoined after some years absence. This brought the number of full members to 53. Waiting in the wings as active prospective members were China, Bolivia, El Salvador, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Portugal. In addition, there are 26 ‘corresponding’ and ‘contact’ members being assisted by the federation in the development of their polo.

Delegates at the General Assembly heard a report by Rogelio Igartua, president of the Federatión Mexicana de Polo (FMP), on organisation of the final stage of the eighth World Championship (21 April to 4 May). Eight teams are competing in the World Cup finals: reigning champions Brazil, Mexico, England, Spain, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Chile. Opening and closing ceremonies and some matches will be at Campo de Marte in the heart of Mexico City; others at Tecamac Polo Club about 45 minutes drive from the capital.

FMP’s Igartua and his organising committee have secured support from the title sponsor El Palacio de Hierro (a chain of up-market department stores) as well as other commercial firms and several governmental and national sports organisations. The FMP is in the process of identifying upwards of 300 ponies, mainly Mexican but with some from the US and Argentina, for pony pools to mount the eight teams. The Tecamac Polo Club is closing its grounds to play two months ahead to ensure they are in tip-top condition for the championship matches and is planning a big World Cup ‘village’ with restaurants and shopping to help draw the crowds.

Despite FIP’s successes over the past 25 years, the federation is still faced with serious challenges, not least a lack of adequate funding that forces it to operate on a shoestring budget – with just one paid secretary and ‘headquarters’ that currently floats with the presidency. Most member associations pay only $750 a year to belong to the organisation – less than an amateur player might spend on his helmet and a few sticks. Only the three largest associations –the HPA, USPA and AAP –pay the top rate of $4,650, which in the US in 2007 worked out to just over a dollar per registered player.

Global administration of the sport could be improved in such vital areas as marketing and communications if funding for professional staff were to be forthcoming through increased membership fees and greater corporate sponsorship. For the time being, however, FIP’s team of dedicated volunteers around the world, from president Guerrand-Hermès down, continue to invest time (and their own money) into trying to improve the game and raise its public profile around the world.