New Delhi, Sep 26: Indian Polo got a major boost when President Ram Nath Kovind conferred the prestigious Arjuna Award to national polo player Colonel Ravi Rathore at the National Sports and Adventure Award 2018 function at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Tuesday (September 25).
It was a shot in the arm for the sport which has been one of the oldest sports. Despite India being the cradle of the modern day Polo, the players, as well as the game, never got it's due. Finally, the Ministry of Sports recognised the contribution of the Indian Polo players and conferred the sporting award to Colonel Ravi Rathore for his contribution towards the sport.
Col Rathore in an exclusive conversation with MyKhel seemed happy as twenty years' of his service to the sport finally paid off and it will encourage him further to do well.
Colonel Rathore, the current Commanding Officer of the 61st Cavalry Regiment of the Indian Army, and also the secretary of Indian Polo Association (IPA), said, "It feels great to be chosen for the prestigious award. I have been playing Polo for 20 years and been part of the Indian Polo team for five consecutive championships and won two golds in 2011 and 2017. So, it feels great for getting the recognition for the sport and it's more than a personal achievement to me. This award gives the due recognition to the sport which didn't get much appreciation from the ministry, per say. That makes me feel better rather than personal achievement."
#PresidentKovind confers Arjuna Award 2018 upon Col Ravi Rathore for his outstanding achievements in Polo
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 25, 2018
•Team Gold in 11th World Cup Polo Championship (Asia & Africa Zone) in 2017.
•Winner of International Polo Match (ARC India vs Argentina) 2014. pic.twitter.com/O5JFIJutJ5
When asked how is he getting the Arjuna Award going to help the game, Colonel Rathore said he considers it as a recognition for the entire Polo community which is finally getting recognised by the Ministry.
"Getting the award and being it appreciated by the Ministry will give a major boost to all the players and the entire fraternity. That's a great achievement for the entire polo fraternity. That's why I am saying, to get the Arjuna Award for any player on the behalf of the community is a great feeling."
You are going to play a series with All-Stars Argentina team in the month of December-January and will be touring Argentina later next year for a series. How is that going to help Indian Polo?
"As you rightly mentioned Argentina are going to play the best team in the world, so definitely it (the experience) will help improve your abilities, you learn new things. As a sportsman, it's always encouraging to play against the best teams and you improve as a team and also as an individual. As we know, Argentina is the Mecca of Polo. Presently, they are the best team and have the best infrastructure. So playing against them will help us get to learn a few things from them and eventually help the boys improve our skill sets. So, the upcoming series is a great move," he added further.
La Pegasus Polo, India's upcoming premier polo establishment has partnered with the world's most successful Polo association - Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP) and will host an exciting series of 22-goal Handicap International matches. This is a first-of-its-kind foray for Argentinian Polo in this part of the world, and at a level of professional polo higher than anything ever witnessed in India.
The collaboration between Asociación Argentina de Polo (AAP) and La Pegasus Polo will present a truly world-class display of polo in between December 2018 and January 2019.