TENGOAL | Profile


With houses in the UK and Africa,


Karim has experienced a variety of cultures, giving him a more balanced perspective on the world. “We have been very fortunate to experience the best of both countries and cultures throughout our lives,” he said. “Our long-lasting friendships built in each country and through polo have been wonderful. The UK has always been a special home for my family and I and it will continue to feature strongly in the future.” Kola Karim first discovered polo a few


thousand miles from Windsor Great Park – at Nigeria’s renowned Lagos Polo Club. “I fell in love with the game as soon as I played it and its demands for discipline and courage,” Kola revealed. “It’s a tough sport and one where you can only succeed if you are working in partnership with your horse and your team. In fact it is this challenge of aligning so many critical elements in perfect balance that attracted me to polo.” These days, the Karim brothers have


experienced plenty of polo around the globe, “we are fortunate to play all over the world, in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Argentina,” enabling this polo-mad duo to bring many international experiences to their match-play at Smith’s Lawn. Although there are still some polo countries that Karim would like to experience though. “I would love to play in the Asian countries; India, China and Thailand sound like exciting and fascinating places to play polo and meet players. North African polo would


also be a tremendous playing opportunity too,” he added. Polo in Africa has seen a resurgence


recently, with the advent of clubs such as Fifth Chukker. Karim believes that this renaissance is linked to the development of the region commercially. “Polo travels well and Africans are great travellers! We have seen some real wealth being created over the last decade with businesses being built by Africans, so it is natural that competitive sports like polo represent another aspect of this progress. Africans are able to invest in the infrastructure, people and time required to compete internationally.”


We have seen some real wealth being created over the


last decade with businesses being built by Africans,


so it is natural that competitive sports


like polo represent another aspect of this progress


Kola receives a prize from Beverley Robb


Kola Karim’s polo experiences in two


continents affords him an invaluable perspective on the game. “Playing abroad has some advantages over Nigeria in that one finds a greater variety of playing opportunities at the various clubs in Europe and the Americas for instance. The level of polo is also much higher given the greater number of players and clubs. Competition is intense and I think the quality of the ponies abroad is greater, making for a much quicker game. It’s an excellent spectator sport, especially at Guards Polo Club.” The standout tournament for Karim in the Guards fixtures is the 16-goal Land 


Tunde Karim with Club Chairman, Jock Green-Armytage


The Karim family taking a break on the Clubhouse terrace


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