Hurlingham Magazine
This year’s competition was played in a spirit of sportsmanship, and produced a first-time winner in Chile, reports Herbert Spencer -Hurlingham Magazine.
PWC Flags There can be few more impressive polo venues anywhere in the world than the stunning Campo Marte right in the middle of Mexico City, where the main matches were played for the World Cup of the Federation of International Polo (FIP ) in April and May. The studio back lots of Hollywood could not have offered a more imaginative set for an international sports event. Campo Marte is part of a military complex off the capital’s grand Paseo de la Reforma in its huge 1,800-acre Chapultepec Park, that great greenlung of woods and water in this air-polluted (second only to Beijing)city of 16 million souls. The park is home to pleasure lakes, a zoo,museums, the national auditorium and many other public buildings.Chapultepec is at the very heart of the vibrant life of the nation’scapital.

A parade and sports ground normally used by troops and occasionallypolo, Campo Marte is dominated by a huge Mexican flag, measuring 50m by28m, flying from a massive flagpole that is 100m high. Some of thecity’s stunning modern architecture, including luxury hotels of 40 ormore stories, form the backdrop to the scoreboard end, and there arecovered stands seating 3,000 on either side of the ground. For the FIPevent, banners advertising a dozen World Cup sponsors, includingleading supporter El Palacio de Hierro, were strung out along the boards.

It was in this magnificent setting that Mexico dashed England’s hopesfor a medal in FIP ’s eighth Polo World Championship, where thesemi-finals were played and where, on the final day, Chilespectacularly came from behind to triumph over reigning championsBrazil to earn gold medals for the first time in the competition’s20-year history. Mexico beat Spain to take third place in thechampionships, winning in the last seconds of the match to the delightof the home crowd.

The FIP World Cup is the sport’s only truly global competition


The FIP World Cup is the sport’s only truly global competition, playedat the 10 to 14-goal level with a 5-goal cap on individualplayers’handicaps so that smaller as well as larger polo-playingnations might enter. Over the past year, 24 national teams had competedin sub-zone and zone play-offs around the world to earn a place inMexico. Those that made it were: Brazil as reigning champions, Mexicoas host country, Chile, Canada, England, Spain, New Zealand, and SouthAfrica.

The majority of players in the eight teams were young professionals,many with high goal experience in pro-am polo. The youngest were only17 years old: Carlitos Gracida, son of former 10-goaler Carlos Gracida,for Mexico, and Recaredo Ossa for Chile. The oldest player to take tothe field was Spain’s 50-year-old veteran pro Nacho Domecq.

Mexico put together a strong organising committee to run the World Cup,headed by Rogelio Igartua, president of the Mexican Polo Federation.Other members included Giorgio Brignone, Guillermo ‘Billy’ Steta, LuisOlazabal, General Guillermo Galván Galván, Mexico’s Secretary ofDefence and Antonio Jáuregui, president of Tecámac Polo Club. FIPpresident Patrick Guerrand-Hermès of France was on hand to preside overthe event. Farouk Younes of Egypt was the FIP tournament director andEmmanuel Seidner of Guatemala was his assistant.

Rogelio Igartua opening PWC 2008 in TecamacMostof the matches of the final stage were played on three grounds atTecámac, about one hour’s drive from Campo Marte. Tecámac is along-established walled community with some 35 villas around the pologrounds. It was here that the Mexican polo federation, organisers ofthis World Cup, had gathered 212 polo ponies, either on loan or rentedfrom players at clubs throughout the country, as a pool from which eachteam drew their mounts by lot.

Argentina’s Ricardo Mihanovich Jr was FIP ’s horse master, helping tograde the ponies and ensure the fairest distribution possible among thecompeting teams. Because of the high altitude of both Campo Marte andTecámac, FIP agreed to hold chukkas to 6½ minutes rather than theregulation 7½ minutes to make it easier on the ponies. Timers were onhand to restrict use of a pony to the equivalent of one chukka permatch, a requirement agreed with owners of ponies in the pool.

Ironically, the very first league match of the competition at Tecámacwas between England and Brazil. The South Americans had beaten Englandin extra time to take the World Cup at Chantilly, France, in 2004. Nowhistory repeated itself, with Brazil downing England 7-5. As before,England blamed the defeat on bad decisions by the umpires.

In fact, all the teams complained about the umpiring throughout theevent, and this is a subject that FIP must address before the nextWorld Cup. Players in the World Cup are accustomed to playing under oneor more of no fewer than four sets of rules: those of the British,American and Argentine polo associations and the FIP internationalrules – all with differences which have yet to be reconciled. Onlythree officials had been hired for Mexico: two Argentines and aGuatemalan. On most days of play the two umpires and referee had toofficiate at four matches, one after another. Eventually anotherprofessional umpire was flown in from the US.

This eighth World Cup illustrated yet again how the federation canbring the international polo community together for the good of thesport worldwide


All the teams also complained about the quality and condition of poniesprovided by the organisers. To be fair, however, the problem withponies should be viewed in the context of Mexico’s status as one of thesmaller polo-playing nations.

PWC FinalThecountry has only around 150 players and its clubs play mainly low goalpolo. Many of the available mounts had never played to medium goallevel. It was obvious from the start that players would have to adaptto ponies that might not be up to the standards to which they wereaccustomed in their home countries. Some did, some did not. All theteams were in the same boat. Chile, Brazil, Mexico, and Spain rodetheir assigned mounts on into the semi-finals and finals. England wenton to lose all their games.

It has to be said here that England hardly covered themselves withglory, either on or off the field. In recognition of all theteams’complaints about various aspects of this World Cup, FIP presidentGuerrand-Hermès extended a scheduled meeting of the federation’sCouncil of Administration into an ‘open forum’ and invited all theeight competing countries to send representatives to air their views.Seven countries showed up, with players, coaches, or nationalassociation officials in attendance. No representative of Englandattended.

The consensus in the open forum – and in private conversations – wasthat FIP needs to take more control over its World Cup in the future,regardless of which countries are hosting, and that the federationshould consider hiring experienced professionals to assist in thisrather than relying entirely upon volunteers. One hopes that lessonshave been learned.

In any case, this World Cup accomplished two important things. First,it brought the Mexican polo community together in a co-operative effortin which players and clubs throughout the country took part. Hostingsuch a global event has served to raise the profile of Mexican polo andshould encourage greater growth in the future. Players and supporterswho came to Mexico from around the world will long remember theboundless and enthusiastic hospitality of the hosts during thechampionships. Second, this eighth World Cup illustrated yet again howthe federation can bring the international polo community together forthe good of the sport worldwide. The Mexicans had wisely housed all theteams in the same hotel just across from Campo Marte and the greatspirit of camaraderie among the players on and off the polo grounds wasoutstanding.

HurlinghamSotoo was the sportsmanship. Nothing illustrated this better than oneincident during the hard-fought final between Chile and Brazil. When umpires called a foul against Chile, which Brazil consideredunwarranted, the Brazilian player taking the penalty simply tapped theball rather than trying to convert, opening up the game again. Andafter the final bell, the embraces the Brazilians gave their Chileanopponents were as warm and heartfelt as those the victorious Chileansgot from their delighted supporters. That is, after all, the way polo between nations should be played.