"It is our dream"- Arpan Gupta shares Gujarat Polo Club's vision to revive India's glory days in Polo ahead of 2030 Commonwealth Games 

Gujarat Polo Club promoter Arpan Gupta recently shared the club's vision behind the Ahmedabad Polo Tournament and how it can help India revive it's glory in the sport ahead of the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad.

India has a rich history in Polo, but the sport has not been included in the Olympics after the year 1936. As far as the Commonwealth Games is concerned, polo has been presented only once at the grand stage of CWG back in 1958.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda at the launch event of the Ahmedabad Polo Tournament, Gujarat Polo Club promoter Arpan Gupta said that it is his team's vision to take the sport back to the grand stage of Commonwealth Games and Olympics.

With Commonwealth Games 2030 allotted to Ahmedabad and Summer Olympics 2036 likely to happen in India as well, Gupta was asked whether the Ahmedabad Polo Tournament aims to make a strong case for the sport's return to the grand stage.

"Absolutely. That is something we really wish to do. It is our dream. As I said, India is one of the most successful countries in the polo history. And let me tell you, In the three major events which India had participated in back in the 19th century, India had won the gold."

The Ahmedabad Polo Tournament will take place from January 2 to 4 at the Gujarat Polo Club ground in Shela. This league features six men's teams, namely Adani Archers, Jindal Panthers, KP Kings, Mayfair Polo, Arron Avatars, and Burakia Barrons.

Two women's teams, namely Apollo Aviators and Lions Den Legends will also be a part of the Ahmedabad Polo Tournament. Three matches each will happen on January 2 and 3, while two games will take place on January 4.

"Hopefully, we will have a proper nation-wide structure for polo in India soon"- Gujarat Polo Club promoter Arpan Gupta

During the same interview, Arpan Gupta disclosed that India should follow Argentina's model in the sport of polo. Quite a few Argentine players will also participate in the Ahmedabad Polo Tournament.

Sharing his thoughts on how India can revive the polo heritage, Arpan Gupta said:

"Polo is an elite sport. It's a high-investment sport. Like in India, we have enormous craze for cricket, in Argentina, there is a huge fan following of this sport. There are polo leagues happening in Argentina. Kids participate in the sport from a young age. We would like to follow that model in India, and we will try to build academies and take the sport to the school level."

Ahmedabad Polo Tournament will take place from January 2 to 4

When asked if a league like the Ahmedabad Polo Tournament has taken place in any other state of India, Arpan Gupta answered:

"No, we haven't seen any organized effort yet. As I said, it's not going to be a one-off event. It's not like this will happen once and we will never do it again. No, that's not our vision. We want to take it further. We want to build an eco-system and maintain continuity. If everything works out well, hopefully, we will have a proper nation-wide structure for polo in India soon."

It will be exciting to see which team wins the Ahmedabad Polo Tournament 2026. This sport involving horses has the potential to attract a huge audience not just in Gujarat, but across the nation.

Edited by Vinay Chhabria