Modern Vintage: Hand Court Bike Polo

Tug-of-war and motor-boating were just some of the unusual sporting events held at the 1908 London Olympics. But one event that has seen a recent surge in popularity is the game of bike polo.

Using bikes, its follows the rules of standard Polo, but unlike the traditional prestige and privilege that Polo represents, this variant of the sport has gone rogue. Hugely popular across Western Europe and North America, bike polo (or its streetwise name, hand court bike polo) has become the latest and fastest growing underground past-time and is quickly emerging as a fully-fledged international sport. With international competitions like the Greif Masters in Germany and the World Championships being held in Berlin next week, it is evident that the sport is gaining momentum.

When asked about the future of Bike Polo Jonny Hunter and Kevin Walsh of the League of Bike Polo responded,

“Well, there are definitely some barriers. One is, the equipment needs are very individual and specific. The mechanic at your local bike shop isn’t going to know how to work on a polo bike. There have been a couple of bikes manufactured specifically for bike polo—the Fleet Velo Joust and Milwaukee Bike’s Bruiser—but the sales, so far, are low. So I don’t see it becoming commercialized.

On the other hand, we have a major sponsor involved in this tournament [the upcoming North American championship], Trek, and that has been fantastic. We have an organizing body now, and I think that within the community we have enough organizing talent and potential to steer the sport in the direction we, as players and fans, want it to go.”

Although the sport is not as generously funded as other major sports, its growth in popularity is expanding extremely rapidly. Clubs are being formed in almost every continent. Speaking on the expeditious spread of the sport globally, Hunter and Walsh comment,

Walsh: Three or four new local clubs register every week. We just had Moscow register—and I just looked at their club logo, and it is amazing.

Hunter: We had 48 teams playing in the Midwest Championships, 48 teams playing in the Eastern Championships. Internationally, you’re starting to see teams in Latin America—Santiago has a club, Buenos Aires has a club, there’s bike polo in Colombia now. That’s really exciting, because it means you can go anywhere and play. And, obviously, it’s exciting for the future of the competitive game.

Back here in the UK, the London Bike Polo League was setup in 2008. In the 09/10 season twelve teams managed to play 33 games over the winter months, with BAD Polo winning the league with 47 points. Although the league is small and independently funded, with a rise in the sports’ international profile, it may not be long until this ‘unusual’ event could be gracing the Olympic World stage once again.

To read the full interview with Jonny Hunter and Kevin Walsh of the League of Bike Polo, click here.