Polo
Facts
| Discipline of | Polo |
|---|---|
| Participants | 87 |
| NOCs | 9 |
| Competitions held | 5 (Venues) |
| Distinct events | 2 |
| IF | Federation of International Polo |
Description
Polo has been contested at the Olympic Games in 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924, and 1936, but never managed to attract a large field of competing nations. In 1936, two of the five competing teams were so weak that they were not given the chance to compete for the gold, and could at most earn a bronze medal. At the Olympics, the sport was dominated by Great Britain, with eight medals and three golds. Jack, Lord Wodehouse and Frederick Barrett are the only Olympic polo players with two medals and one gold, both Irish men representing Great Britain.
The Federation of International Polo (FIP) was formed on 25 November 1985, in Buenos Aires, with 11 founding members: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, El Salvador, France, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Zimbabwe. The FIP is an International Olympic Committee (IOC)-recognized federation, and one of its main goals is to restore its Olympic status, but the sport’s exclusivity makes that unlikely. As of 2022, the FIP has 86 national members.
All-time medal table
Olympic Games
| NOC | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Britain |  GBR |
3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| Argentina |  ARG |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| United States |  USA |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Spain |  ESP |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| France |  FRA |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mexico |  MEX |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mixed team |  MIX |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Youth Olympic Games
Most successful competitors
Olympic Games
| Athlete | Nat | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack, Lord Wodehouse | GBR IRL |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Frederick Barrett | GBR IRL |
1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Manuel Andrada | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Guillermo Naylor | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Roberto Cavanagh | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Luis Duggan | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Andrés Gazzotti | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Arturo Kenny | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Juan Miles | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jack Nelson | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Enrique Padilla | ARG |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| John Beresford | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Denis Daly | GBR IRL |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Foxhall Keene | GBR USA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Frank Mackey | GBR USA |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Tim Melvill | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Charles Miller | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| George Miller | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Patteson Nickalls | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Vivian Lockett | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Toby Rawlinson | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Herbert Wilson | GBR |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Youth Olympic Games
| Athlete | Nat | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|
Event types
| Name | Gender | Still contested? | Times held? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | Mixed Youth | 1 | |
| Polo | Men | 12 |