Prague – Velká Chuchle Racecourse hosts ladies’ charity polo tournament

The upcoming Ladies Cup will take place in Velká Chuchle Racecourse in honour of the late Sunny Hale, who is regarded as the greatest female polo player in the history of the sport.

Sunny Hale was one of the few women who mostly played in male teams and she played this sport throughout her entire sport career. She passed away two years ago, shortly before her fiftieth birthday, as a result of breast cancer.

Simple rules

The prestigious international Ladies Cup will be the first of its kind in the Czech Republic. The talented players will certainly amaze the audience.

How is polo played? It is a team sport, where two four-member teams compete against each other on horseback in a field. The objective is to score goals using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ball through the opposing team's goal.

History of polo

The game originated in Persia, and dates from the 6^th century BC, where it is mentioned in Persian poetry.

From Persia, the game came to Japan and India as a leisure activity for the nobility. In the 1850s, British colonisers learned polo from the Indian nobility in Manipur. In 1859, the first polo club was established in Indian Silchar.

The game was imported to Britain, and J. G. Bennett Jr. brought it to the United States in 1876. From there, it also spread to Argentina.

Today, polo is played in 39 countries around the world. It is a very popular sport in China, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, and Switzerland. There are several polo clubs in the Czech Republic.

The proceeds of the Ladies Cup, which a number of talented and internationally recognised polo players will attend, will go to charities supporting women with breast cancer. Come to enjoy a sport event and support a good cause!