Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Camel Polo: Sport of the Summer


Dubai is all the rage right now. While flipping channels, trying to find something intellectually stimulating to watch, I ran across a show on polo in Dubai.

I know nothing about polo, unless you count the outfits and uber rich cache. I probably know more about Dubai, by way of Hollywood film festival reviews and financial news, than I do about polo. So it was cool to see a show combining two things I knew next to nothing about, somehow merged in one.

According to the show, polo is hot in Dubai. Apparently, a Middle East polo competition is in development. Polo is one of those networking sports. And the participants say it's a lot more interactive than horse racing, even if you own a horse.

But because polo is mostly a sport for the wealthy, polo enthusiast and eager money makers are exploring ways to introduce the sport to the masses. One of those ways is an emerging hybrid sport: camel polo.

As we speak, there are people training camels to respond in the way horses do. It will be a cool tourist attraction, say developers. The camels they showcased looked a bit unruly, with muscle toned polo lovers trying to wrestle them into form. They needed some practice.

Nevertheless, the trainers were pretty excited and they figured it would be a fun game for friends on an adventure filled trip to Dubai.

To be honest, it looked a little dangerous. But it was nice to know that someone thought the prospect of camel polo was worth investing good time and money into. I found it comforting that these carefree sports lovers had a mildly kooky dream they were dead set on bringing into fruition. While I'm sure the developers had friends who they ran this idea by; people who no doubt said, "Camel polo? You gotta be kiddin me!" these tried and true dreamers continued on.

How refreshing.

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