BUENOS AIRES – Polo for cause has benefited many international charities from battered women to the Holden Foundation, but this year at the Argentine Open, human rights was added to the long list of beneficiaries.
"Polo for Human Rights,” sponsored by legendary 10-goaler Ernesto Trotz, extended a day of friendly matches and customary barbecues on an Estancia at Lujan. The matches, organized to raise awareness and funds for refugee sports and educational programs were organized by Las Pampas Polo.
José Allub, Las Pampas Polo president, said that in Argentina the promotion of human rights tends to be limited to certain sectors of society, and that he was interested in showing that it could be truly universal in an UNHCR release.
"Part of what I liked is that, as we went about organizing the event, I learned more about refugees. That's what this is all about – giving those who may not otherwise know about refugees the opportunity to do so.”
Belén Monguzzi, 28, was a featured player in the match, said she was aware of the tragedies of refugees and was grateful to be able to contribute her "grain of sand" – especially as the Polo-for-Human-Rights idea had made it possible to do so in such an enjoyable fashion.
Trotz’s idea was to link the event to International Human Rights Day, and is a firm believer in the huge publicity potential of sports activities of this type.
"Thanks to the immense coverage given to athletic activities, and to the will of athletes to contribute to public causes, literally millions of good things can be achieved," he told the UNHCR.
His decision to stand behind the event follows the U.N. refugee agency's office in Argentina’s launch of the sports program known as "The World Needs Players" in 2004. That program raises awareness and funds for refugees and facilitates their participation in recreational and athletic activities. Soccer and rugby teams, tennis players and runners have joined in the effort, but polo’s participation this year marked its first foray into the cause. It represents a potentially significant development for UNHCR, representatives said, given the sport’s access to the elite who have the means to contribute to refugee and human rights projects as well as increase public awareness.
The UNHCR helped form a soccer team for refugees last year as part of “The World Needs Players,” program. The team successfully amassed 45 refugees from 12 countries who played a tournament in Buenos Aires on a football field shared by local Argentine players. Mario Pironi, an agency consultant and refugee soccer coach believes the tournament helped maintain the refugee players' interest and motivation and says more tournaments are planned for next year. Organizers hope that polo can follow in those same footsteps.
Las Pampas Polo hopes to repeat the tournament next year in Buenos Aires and is considering exporting it to Russia and the United States.
For more information on the UNHCR, visit their web site at http://www.unhcr.ch/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home. --Diane Hensley
