Polo position
China Daily | Updated: 2019-08-24 11:26
What's the standard size of a polo pitch?
A full-size competition polo field is around 140 by 300 meters, but we are planning for arena polo, which is about the size of a football pitch - around 100 by 50 meters.
Where does the Hong Kong Polo Team's circuit take them?
So far, we have played in Beijing, Tianjin, Thailand, Korea, Singapore, England, Kuala Lumpur and Manila. We have also been invited to compete in polo tournaments all around the world. We've fought our way to and played in eight tournament finals. Astonishingly, with nowhere to practice and no polo ponies in Hong Kong, I'm very proud to say that we've won five of those finals, including the highly regarded and coveted Singapore Polo Open title in 2016.
We have notable luminaries in the city like Raphael le Masne de Chermont, Aron Harilela and Kwan Lo, who have played polo for so long, but is there a leading or emerging female polo player in the city - an equivalent of the golf world's Tiffany Chan?
The wonderful thing about polo, as I said earlier, is that it's an inclusive sport. Men and women can play at the same level - and even on the same team. On our team, Lynly Fong was voted Asia's Best Female Player in 2016. We also have some new local, rising female stars coming up the ranks.
For example, Jessie Chang was awarded Most Valuable Player at Polo After Dark in Hong Kong in November for her efforts in the Hong Kong Beginner's Polo Cup in Tianjin. As a reward, she will be given an opportunity to play on the main team sometime this season as a wild-card try-out.
How dangerous is polo relative to showjumping or horse racing?
Polo is no more of a risk than other similar fast sports - probably less dangerous, statistically, than skiing, for example. If you fall off a horse while showjumping, racing or playing polo, the bruises are about the same.