Ukraine joins Federation of International Polo
THE Ukrainian Federation of Polo has joined the Federation of International Polo following talks with partners in Argentina and the UK.
The brainchild of Ukrainian businessman and equestrian Andriy Bilyy, the move to FIP membership was confirmed last December at the General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Andriy Bilyy, President of the Ukrainian Polo Federation
“We started from scratch and at this point we are only making baby steps, but it is important to know your goals and directions,” Andriy Bilyy told the April edition of the FIP newsletter. “It is going to be a long process and based on other countries’ experience, I understand that it will take about 10 years to develop polo in Ukraine up to a decent professional level which I am ready to do. I am happy that the European polo federations have been very supportive so far.”
The fledgling Ukraine federation was forced to postpone ambitious plans this spring for a schools and universities programme due to the pandemic, but the full academic and polo programme is on track to begin as soon as lockdown restrictions are lifted.
The Ukrainian Polo Federation is the newest member of the International Polo Federation
“We planned to open the very first children’s polo school in the Ukraine this April,” Andriy Bilyy explained. “Unfortunately, we had to postpone it until further notice. The polo school will be situated at one of the private schools in Kiev where all children have access to horse riding and know how to ride. Meanwhile we are forming a team of young, ethnic Ukrainian polo players who are playing for their University teams in the countries where they currently live and study.”
Andriy Bilyy is the Vice-President of the National Equestrian Federation of the Ukraine and President of the Kiev Region Equestrian Federation. A passionate horseman, he intends to learn how to play polo very soon.
