‘New format will help polo excel’

British High Commissioner to India, Sir Dominic Asquith, said that he is looking forward to the “faster and shorter” format of polo as it will help improve the game in India.

On the occasion of British High Commissioner’s Polo Day, Asquith said, “India, with the cricket IPL, has shown how innovative it can be in the sporting field. I’m looking forward to seeing the shorter, faster format of the game. I will follow the league with interest.”

“The game of modern polo started in Manipur. In that sense, we owe a huge amount to India, started many centuries ago. The first match was between Turks and Persians, also long ago. But modern polo was started in Manipur,” he added.

Traditionally, the royals and business barons across the world have and continue to patronise the sport, but in recent times, the sport has innovated in terms of formats and structures to make it more accessible to the masses.

UK Defence Adviser Brigadier Gavin Thompson said: “India has a great track record with turning things around with IPL, Kabaddi and there is no reason why it wouldn’t do well in polo. It will bring in more people into the sport. It is a very great initiative.”