Polo in Puducherry

Reviewed profileAchievements, tournaments, coaches and FAQs on this page are compiled by hand from federation, government and press reporting, drawing on Indian Polo Association (ipa.co.in), All Manipur Polo Association (polomanipur.com), Wikipedia — Polo in India, Manipur International Polo. These are not cited to individual documents: we hold no per-claim source for them, so treat dates, counts and career records here as a summary rather than a reference. Sections we hold nothing for are left empty. Sport pages last reviewed as a set: September 2026.

Overview

Origin: Ancient Persia / Manipur
Category: Team
Olympic discipline: No
Paralympic discipline: No
Central pathway: Federation and state pathway
Athlete profiles on SportSupport: 4

Governance and status

Each field below is shown only where we hold a source for it; anything else reads “Not currently verified” rather than a guess. Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition is granted year by year, so it is only ever shown with the year it applies to. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Indian governing/organising body: Indian Polo Association
Ministry recognition: Indian Polo Association — Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — as at 2026Source: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports — List of recognised National Sports Federations
International federation: Not currently verified
Khelo India inclusion: Not currently verified
TOPS eligibility: Not currently verified
Olympic status: Not on the Olympic programme
Paralympic status: Not a Paralympic discipline

Polo is listed on SportSupport in the team category. Its recorded origin is Ancient Persia / Manipur. It is not on the Olympic programme. We list Indian Polo Association as the Indian governing/organising body for the sport.

Polo has a federation and state-level pathway in India, and athletes selected through Indian Polo Association may be eligible for state sports-quota employment and state cash awards where their state notifies the discipline. TOPS does not apply, as the discipline is outside the Olympic programme.

Scholarships & Funding

Central, state and private scholarships available for polo athletes in India.

Khelo India Talent Identification & Development (KITID)
Stipend, boarding, coaching and kit at accredited centres for talent identified through the Khelo India selection process (Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports). Applies only to disciplines on the official Khelo India Games list, and only to athletes it selects.
National Sports Development Fund (NSDF)
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports fund used to sponsor elite athletes' training, foreign coaches and equipment. Allocations are made case by case; we hold no record of NSDF support specific to polo.
Pension for Meritorious Sportspersons
Lifetime monthly pension for retired internationals who meet the scheme's medal criteria at Asian, Commonwealth or World Championship level — Government of India. Whether a given polo event counts depends on the scheme's notified list.
State sports quota and government employment
Many states reserve government and public-sector posts for national-level medallists. Which polo events and which certifying bodies a state accepts varies by state, so check your state's current notification.

Explore all government schemes →

Indian Players

4 profiles

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Rules

Two teams of 4 mounted players use long-handled mallets to hit a ball, scoring by driving it between the opponent's goalposts. Matches are divided into periods called chukkas (typically 7 minutes each), with players changing horses between chukkas.

Authoritative rulebook: Indian Polo Association. Age-group and school-level variations are published by SGFI and the state associations each season.

Positions

Typical roles across team sports. These are category-level descriptions, not a sourced polo squad list.

Attackers / forwards
Primary scorers who operate closest to the opposition goal or scoring zone.
Midfielders / all-rounders
Link play between defence and attack; usually the highest work-rate positions.
Defenders
Deny the opposition space and possession in the defensive third.
Goalkeeper / last line
Specialist stopper with distinct kit and rules; the final line of defence.
Captain & vice-captain
On-field leadership, decision-making and communication with match officials.

Equipment

Standard kit and infrastructure required to train and compete in polo at a federation-recognised event.

Polo mallet
Polo ball
Polo pony
Helmet and knee guards

Governing/organising body

Body listed on SportSupport

Indian Polo Association

Indian Polo Association is the body we list as the Indian governing/organising body for Polo. Its recognition status as we hold it: Annual recognition renewed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (as at 2026). Recognition is granted year by year, so read the federation profile for the source.

Origin: Ancient Persia / Manipur
Olympic: No
Paralympic: No
Category: Team

IPA profile →All federations →

Major Indian Events

Domestic competitions we hold a source for in polo.

Indian Polo Championship
Organized by the Indian Polo Association (IPA, founded 1892), revived in 1956 after a 17-year hiatus and held regularly since. The President's Cup (inaugurated 1975) is among its most prestigious trophies. Historically contested by teams from former princely states (Jaipur, Alwar, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Jodhpur), now including Army cavalry regiments and civilian clubs.
Manipur International Polo Tournament
A separate major annual event held at Imphal Polo Ground (Mapal Kangjeibung — recognized as the world's oldest polo ground), organized by the Manipur Horse Riding and Polo Association since the 1950s. India fields both an IPA 'India-A' team and a Manipur 'India-B' team, alongside international sides from over a dozen countries.

International Events

Continental and world-level competitions we hold a source for in polo.

FIP World Polo Championship
India has competed four times (1995, 2011, 2017). India also won the pre-FIP World Championship held in Deauville, France, in 1957.
Manipur Statehood Day Women's Polo Tournament
Held annually since 2016 — the first and only international women's polo tournament held in India.

Leagues

No dedicated professional league is currently catalogued for polo. The national championship under Indian Polo Association remains the top domestic competition.

All leagues →

International Players

Globally recognised polo athletes to know outside India.

The international federation for polo maintains the current world ranking — check the federation site for the up-to-date top names.

Career Options

Ways to build a career in polo — on the field, on the sidelines and behind the scenes.

India is widely credited as the birthplace of modern polo — the sport traces to Manipur's traditional 'Sagol Kangjei,' with rules said to date to King Khagemba's reign in the early 1600s, before British cavalry officers and tea planters carried the game to England in the 1860s
Playing pathway through Indian Polo Association clubs (35 currently registered) and Army cavalry regiments, notably 61 Cavalry
Traditional Manipuri polo pathway through the All Manipur Polo Association
Coaching and umpiring certification through IPA
Allied careers in horse breeding, training and stable management, given the sport's dependence on polo ponies

Explore sports careers →Coaches directory →

Related academies

0 listed

No polo academies are catalogued in the directory yet. Browse the full academy list or list your academy to appear here.

All academies →List your academy →

Government Schemes

1 listed

Central and state schemes that fund training, stipends and awards for polo athletes and academies.

Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons to Group C Posts in the Central Government (DoPT Sports Quota)
Under instructions of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), central government ministries and departments can directly recruit meritorious sportspersons to Group C posts (including erstwhile Group D) that are filled by direct recruitment, in relaxation of the normal recruitment procedure. The list of qualifying sports has 65 disciplines (63 listed in 2020, with Tennis Ball Cricket added in January 2021 and Yogasana in June 2022). Kudo, Karate, Taekwondo, Golf, Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, Badminton, Cricket and Tennis are among them. Railways and a few scientific and atomic-energy services follow separate rules.

All government schemes →

FAQs

Common questions about polo in India.

Who governs Polo in India?▾

We list Indian Polo Association as the Indian governing/organising body for Polo, and state associations affiliated to it run age-group and state-level competition. We hold no current-year Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports recognition record for it, so this is not a statement that it is currently a recognised national sports federation — recognition is granted year by year.

Is Polo an Olympic sport?▾

No, Polo is not on the Olympic programme.

How do I start playing Polo in India?▾

The usual routes are a school team under the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), a college team under the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), or a private academy affiliated to your state association under Indian Polo Association. Age-group state championships follow from there.

What government schemes support Polo athletes?▾

TOPS does not apply, as Polo is outside the Olympic programme. State-government cash awards or sports-quota employment can apply where a state notifies the discipline, which varies by state. Polo does not appear on the official Khelo India Games discipline list, so we make no Khelo India claim for it.

Polo in every state & UT

Dedicated pages for Polo in each Indian state and Union Territory — academies, schemes, athletes and how to start.