“Let other people play at other things. The king of games is still the game of kings.
This quote carved in stone, is of course referring to the glamorous sport of polo. You can still find it next to a polo ground in Skardu Pakistan, north of Kashmir, near the fabled Silk Route.
In Egypt, some are familiar with this ancient quote that still expresses how they feel today, like Farouk Younes, and the rest of the national Egyptian polo team.
His son Omar who has been playing polo for decades and is also on the team, agrees with the quote, “I think it is one of the few sports you can play at 15, 30 or 50 and still have the same adrenaline rush as a child, he says.
Last weekend, Abu Seir in Sakara witnessed the annual polo match sponsored by Credit Suisse at the Younes residence.
Every year a different international team is invited, and the theme of the day is chosen according to the visiting country. The first year featured France, followed by India, Mexico, Switzerland, Brazil and this year the Netherlands arrived to take part in the games.
During the two-day weekend event, the first game was dedicated to the Credit Suisse Cup and the second to the Abu Seir Cup.
The event is not only about the sport, however; the 300 guests look forward to a day out in the sun every year. Luckily although the event was done about a month earlier than usual, the weather was uncommonly spectacular for mid February all through the weekend.
As usual the positive vibe was in the air, as the people sipped on their Bloody Mary’s chatting away in the garden before the games began.
Buffet dining catered from the Mena House Oberoi bordered the spacious grounds.
“It’s such a wonderful warm atmosphere that gathers together people of all ages. We all look forward to it every year, says Nelly Naga, one of the guests.
When the games began, the crowds moved from the garden to the sidelines of the field. The sound of the hooves and the grace of the players make the game beautiful to watch.
Jacqueline Younes offered her amusing commentary of the game, which goes a little beyond what’s on the field.
For those unfamiliar with polo, the game consists of four chukkers each lasting seven minutes. In the game there are four men on every team, two offence players, one defense player and the hardest position played by usually the most experienced player which is both offence and defense.
Established by Younes in the 1990s, this field is the first private polo field since the 1940s and is one of the only two in Cairo.
The other field, located in Basateen, is owned by the Egyptian Mounted Police.
Polo first came to Egypt in the 12th century with the Mameluks, who introduced polo as a form of military exercise and sport. By the 1700s, polo had waned in Egypt until the British re-introduced it in the 1890s.
Younes has been a polo fanatic for 40 years. He started playing in the 1960s at the Gezira Sporting Club, before they turned the polo fields into sandy football pitches.
Now as he plays less he is concentrating more on promoting the sport internationally. He is on the board and on the executive committee of the Federation of International Polo (FIP), which operates under the auspices of the International Olympic committee (IOC).
There are now about 30 active polo players in Egypt from Cairo and Alexandria. Most local players’ handicap is between 0-2, exceeding the world average of 0-1 handicap.
In March there are two matches coming up. The Pakistani team is coming on March 16 to play against the Egyptian national team arranged by the Police Sport Union. There will be a big event on the grounds of the Egyptian Mounted Police.
Also in March, the Jordanian national team is coming, including team member Prince Rashid bin El Hassan.
Indeed polo is the sport of royalty.
