Germany wins 2018 Beijing int'l polo tournament
- By Guo Xiaohong
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 23, 2018
Germany won the 2018 Beijing International Polo Open Tournament & "The Belt and Road" International Polo Open Tournament, beating Britain 9:7.5 in the finals at a club in northwestern Beijing's Yanqing district on September 22. China took third place in the competition, which also included teams from New Zealand and Argentina.
The event attracted many polo professionals and fans, including Argentina's Ambassador to China Diego Ramiro Guelar and Eduardo Novillo Astrada, president of the Argentine Polo Association.
"This is a nice event," said Astrada, who used to be a successful polo professional. "I came to China to see how we could develop polo here, getting people interested in it and playing the sport."
Though polo originated from China's Han Dynasty, it has long been considered unaffordable in the country as it involves big expense. Yet, as the number of the middle class is increasing, the sport may gain its popularity in the future, according to the China Horse Industry Association.
Polo tournaments like this will help promote the sport among Chinese people, especially the youth, predicted President Xia Yang of the Beijing Sunny Times Polo Sports Co., Ltd, which has hosted the annual tournament for more than ten years.
Along with holding the polo tournament, Yanqing has also developed horse-themed tours as part of a focus on the leisure industry.
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