Roda Polo

​

Roda Polo is a variant of classic polo that is played on an EUC (electric unicycle), so no horse is needed to play it. Roda Polo differs from the traditional game in several ways and allows for some new tactical options: the mallets are shorter, a tennis ball is used, players can hit with either hand, and the field is smaller. However, body language still plays a very important role, as EUCs are controlled by gyroscopes, i.e. by shifting one's weight.

​

​

The History of Roda Polo

​

Javier Tanoira was looking for a way to grow polo as a sport and began developing a prototype of a mechanical horse. This changed when, in the USA, he saw the sons of several top-level polo players, such as Poroto Cambiaso, practising "stick and ball" on electric unicycles. He found the concept brilliant. Javier Tanoira belongs to one of the most important families in polo; his father was a 10-goal player, which gave him a clear view of the sport and its current situation. He saw that polo was becoming ever more competitive and its level ever higher, making it increasingly difficult for new players to take up the sport. Roda Polo offered a stark contrast to this and caught the interest of younger audiences and players in particular.

Roda Polo began staging demonstrations at several major polo tournaments, where spectators and polo players alike could borrow an EUC and experience the sport for themselves, in keeping with the core idea of opening polo up to a wider audience. Later, the players themselves began playing Roda Polo in their own countries and polo clubs. They played with their friends and thereby helped Roda Polo grow, simply by teaching friends and acquaintances how to ride an EUC and handle a mallet. With this significant number of players, Javi Tanoira and the newly founded Roda Polo began organising the first tournaments in several countries around the world, with a particular focus on Argentina, home to the largest number of polo players. For example, they held tournaments at several schools, which drew large crowds. Another of these early efforts to establish Roda Polo was at the Potrillos, where a parallel tournament was held within the Argentine Polo Association. Independent Roda tournaments followed as well, such as the JNA, which has already had two editions at La Alegría and attracted a remarkable number of participants.

​

​

Roda Polo Today

​

Roda Polo is currently gaining momentum in several countries, including Spain, the USA, Argentina, France, Uruguay and the UK. Germany has now joined them, and interest is growing steadily. Roda Polo is working to formalise and regulate the sport to make it safer and more entertaining.