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| Highestgoverning body | Federación Argentina de Pato y Horseball (Argentine Federation of Pato and Horseball) |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | El deporte nacional ("Thenational sport")[1] |
| First played | 1610,Argentina[2] |
| Registered players | Yes |
| Clubs | no |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Yes |
| Team members | 4 per team |
| Mixed-sex | No |
| Type | Equestrian,ball game,team sport, outdoor |
| Equipment | Ball |
| Venue | Field (grass) |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Argentina |
| Olympic | No |
| Paralympic | No |
| Obsolete | Yes |
Pato, also calledjuego del pato (Spanish pronunciation:[ˈxweɣoðelˈpato], literally "duck game"), is a game played on horseback that combines elements frompolo andbasketball. Since 1953 it has been the national sport ofArgentina.[1]
Pato is Spanish for "duck", as early games used a live duck inside a basket instead of a ball.[3] Accounts of early versions ofpato have been written since 1610.[2] The playing field would often stretch the distance between neighboringestancias (ranches). The first team to reach its owncasco (ranch house) with the duck would be declared the winner.
Pato was banned several times during its history because of the violence—not only to the duck; manygauchos were trampled underfoot, and many more died in knife fights started in the heat of the game. In 1796, a Catholic priest insisted thatpato players who died in such a way should be denied Christian burial. Government ordinances forbidding the practice ofpato were common throughout the 19th century.
During the 1930s,pato was regulated through the efforts of ranch owner Alberto del Castillo Posse, who drafted a set of rules inspired by modernpolo. The game gained legitimacy, to the point that PresidentJuan Perón declaredpato to be Argentina's national game in 1953.[4]
In modernpato, two four-member teams[5] riding onhorses fight for possession of a ball which has six conveniently-sized handles, and score by throwing the ball through a vertically positioned ring (as opposed to the horizontal rim used in basketball). The rings have a 100 cm (3.3 ft) diameter, and are located atop 240 cm (7.9 ft) high poles. A closed net, extending for 140 cm (4.6 ft), holds the ball after goals are scored.
The winner is the team with most goals scored after regulation time (six 8-minute "periods").
The dimensions of the field are: length 180 to 220 m (196.9 to 240.6 yd), width 80 to 90 m (87 to 98 yd). The ball is made of leather, with an inflated rubber chamber and six leather handles. Its diameter is 40 cm (15.7 in) handle-to-handle and its weight is 1050 to 1250 g (2.3 to 2.8 lbs).
The player that has control of thepato (i.e. holds the ball by a handle) must ride with his right arm outstretched, offering thepato so rival players have a chance of tugging thepato and stealing it. Not extending the arm while riding with thepato is an offense callednegada (refusal).
During the tug itself, orcinchada, both players must stand on thestirrups and avoid sitting on thesaddle, while the hand not involved in the tugging must hold thereins. The tug is usually the most exciting part of the game.
Pato is similar to the game ofhorseball played inFrance,Portugal, and other countries.
Pato is played competitively and also by amateurs, mostly in weekend fairs which usually includedoma (Argentine rodeo). Its status as the national game of Argentina has been challenged byassociation football, which is much more widespread. While virtually the entire population of the country are avid football fans and players, it is estimated that 90% of Argentines have not seen apato match, and there are only a few thousand players of the game.[4] In light of this, a bill was introduced in the Argentine legislature in 2010 to elevate football to the status of national sport and reducepato to a traditional sport.[4] Defenders ofpato's official status point out that it is a completely indigenous game, while football was imported.
Decree 17468 of 9/16/1953 decrees that the national sport or game shall be the one known as 'El Pato', as developed from an old game engaged in by the gauchos, and so truly Argentinean in origin.
In 1610, thirty years after Buenos Aires' second foundation and two hundred years before the May Revolution, a document drafted by the military anthropologist Felix de Azara described a pato sport scene taking place in the city.
Consistía en arrojar un pato hacia arriba y liberar dos grupos de jinetes que se atropellaban para capturarlo como fuera, y llevarlo. Los jugadores, entonces, se pasaban el pato unos a otros lanzándolo o golpeándolo, para finalmente lograr encestarlo en una red. En ocasiones el pato se colocaba dentro de una cesta y con ella se jugaba.
El número de jugadores será de 4 por bando en todos los juegos y partidos debiendo numerarse del 1 al 4.
