The history of Polo in Russia
Polo was originally introduced to Russia in 1870 during the rule of Tsar Alexander II and had well and truly caught on amongst the Russian Military Aristocracy by the time of Alexander III. The officers who had taken part in the military activity in Saint Petersburg at the beginning of the 1880s were the first players, with the first official Polo competition taking place on the 10th June 1884 in honour of the opening of the hippodrome in Peterhof, the Tsar’s summer residence. Historical documentation bears witness to the fact that members of the Russian Imperial Family were themselves very active in the game.
The first Russian polo match at the Peterhof hippodrome – June 1884
Players were divided into 2 teams, the “blues” and the “reds”. His Imperial Highness Prince Peter Nikolaevich headed the “blues” along with His Highness Cornet Volf of the Uhlan Life Guard Regiment and Cornet Andreev of the Burgskiy Dragoons. Four army officers played for the “reds” : His Highness Cornet Gune of the Cavaliers, the First Lieutenant of the Kirasirskiy Life Guards His Highness Zakrshevskiy, the First Lieutenant of the Astakhanskiy Dragoons –Blasheskiy and the Cornet of the Rishskiy Dragoons - Gadichko.
The game lasted approximately 15 minutes and on this occasion the “reds” were victorious, each winning player receiving 50 silver roubles from His Royal Highness.
After the October Revolution in 1917 the game was abruptly discontinued, only to be reintroduced almost 100 years later in the summer of 2003 by Victor Huaco, a Peruvian financier who now calls Russia his home.
The fourth annual Russian Polo Cup will be held on the outskirts of Moscow at Gorkiy 2, not far from the Nikolina Hills on Saturday 1st June 2006.
