Polo still pulling for Olympic rings. FIP’s still presses its bid for some representation at the 2012 Games in spite of IOC trend to reduce sports, events and athletes. BY DIANE HENSLEY

Federation of International Polo President and former U.S. Ambassador to Jamaica Glenn Holden has made significant strides in delivering polo from Olympic obscurity since the organization’s inception in 1983. He has demonstrated unshakeable resolve in his attempt to overcome the odds against the sport’s acceptance-- the organizational logistics, its self-officiation and lack of global representation. And, the federation’s achievement in gaining recognized sport status with the International Olympic Committee occurred during a time when organizers sought instead to cap the number of summer sports to 28 while limiting the number of events and participating athletes.

Despite a string of disappointing rejections, including denial for admission to the 2008 games in Beijing, Holden’s comeback campaign for 2012 is in full force.

“We have all the reasons to be optimistic and every reason to take a shot at 2012,” Holden said. “It will have a lot to do with the city selected.”

With London’s selection by the IOC in July as the host city for the XXX Olympiad, Holden is encouraged given Britain’s longstanding polo legacy. But the IOC, true to its goals of shrinking the Games to a more portable size, announced it reduced its Olympic program to 26 sports for 2012 at the July sessions, the first time it has done so since 1936.   Nonetheless, Holden remains vigilant, vowing to work with Hurlingham Polo Association Chairman Christopher Hanbury in an attempt to find some way to affiliate polo with the Games there. Exhibition games, no longer permitted by the IOC, are not an option.

Hanbury appointed HPA’s Steward Nicholas Colquhoun-Denvers to explore the best way to make approaches to London’s organizing committee, according to an Autumn report in Hurlingham magazine.

“It’s never too early to start, but we must come up with some concepts that might appeal to Lord Coe and his team and to the IOC,” he said.

“If we don’t succeed here, we’ll pick and try again for the next Olympiad,” Holden said. “The IOC doesn’t promise anything, but they have also told us to stay in the game and keep trying.”

The horn signaling polo’s final chukker in its run for the rings, last blasted in 1936 in Berlin. Since then, the IOC has set a maximum number of sports at 28, capped the number of events to 301 and limited the number of participating athletes to 10,500. Sports are assessed for inclusion by global popularity, media coverage, gender equality and ticket sales.

Still, that won’t stand in polo’s way, according to Pat Nesbitt, the International Committee Chairman for the United States Polo Association.

Several polo players serve on the IOC board, among them is Shahid Ali of Pakistan.

Diane Hensley can be reached at dkheditor@msn.com.