Published by: World Tibet Network News Thursday, September 25, 1997

[Xinhua is the official news agency of the People's Republic of China]

XINING, September 24, 1997 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese scholar who specializes in Tibetan research claims that the Western sport of polo originated in Tibet.

Polo, known as the "Game of Kings," was developed by ancient Tibetans and later spread to Central Asia and Europe, Wang Yao explains in his newly-published paper entitled "A New Study on Polo."

The earliest Tibetan lexicon, dating back more than 1,000 years, provides corroborating evidence for polo's true beginnings, Wang said.

German American researcher B Laufer, who also focuses on Tibetan studies, said that the compilers of "The Century Dictionary" and "Encyclopaedia Britannica" regarded "polo" as an ancient Tibetan word.

And "The New History of the Tang Dynasty" has recorded that Tibetan dukes and princes gave treasures, including gold polo mallets, to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty when asking to marry into the royal family.