Bike Polo Competition Comes to London
While the excitement of the Olympic cycling may have faded slightly by now, people in the capital will have a new reason to get excited about bikes this month as London is hosting a rather unusual event that involves a novel application of cycles.
The London Open of Bike Polo is being held this weekend and it will see teams of competitors take on one another in match ups that echo the equestrian equivalent of this sport.
The London Hardcourt Bike Polo Association’s Jon Marshall told the guardian that this sport had evolved out of amateur fun being had by bike messengers, but that it was gradually becoming a much more serious scene. 84 teams are going to do battle this weekend and both male and female tournaments are organised to run alongside one another in what will be a first for the sport.
This is no Mickey Mouse™ operation as major brands are sponsoring the event and games will be played in designated courts with fans watching both in person or via a dedicated web stream if they cannot make it down.
Bike polo in its current form, with tarmac surfaces used for play, grew out of Seattle in the US, although in 1908 a precursor of the sport was actually featured at the Olympic Games, so it has a long history.
Mr Marshall said that he is hoping to get more people playing bike polo across the UK and is particularly interested in getting children of both sexes to involve themselves in this fledgling sport.
