n 2015 the owners of Sydney Polo Club, Peter and
Rebecca Higgins, enthused delegates at the FIP Annual
General Assembly in Buenos Aires with a presentation
about what might be on offer for a second Australian
World Polo Championships. The pair were accompanied
by Ian McDuie, representing the Australian Polo
Federation, and supported by the Australian ambassador
to Argentina, and there has been great anticipation in
the world of polo since, as we waited to see if they could
live up to the hype.
Held every three years in different locations around
the world, the FIP Championships are known for
encouraging up-and-coming young players to compete
for their country against other nations who have battled
through to the finals in the five zone play-offs. For the
2017 edition, these had been held in France, Iran,
Thailand, the US & Uruguay. FIP’s October 2017 event
was to be the culmination of three years of planning and
decision-making to showcase FIP, Australia, the
impressive ponies and the stunning surroundings of
Sydney Polo Club, located some 45 minutes from Sydney
in the beautiful Richmond region on the banks of the
Hawkesbury River. The event was also well supported by
Tim Clarke, the president of the APF, and its partner
Destination NSW, the state government tourism board.
A week of excellent polo on the impressive polo grounds
at Sydney Polo Club had been promised, and spectators
were not disappointed.
The NSW government declared the Championship
an Event of Special Sporting Significance to overcome
some of the minor planning problems. Over the six days,
some 60,000 people came from all over Australia, as well
as many other parts of the world, to enjoy the spectacle.
From a social viewpoint all were well catered for, from
the players and their support teams to followers and the
general public, not to mention the young. Many of the
local schools organised visits to the event for youngsters
who had not seen anything like this before. There were
i
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