John Wash, president of the International Polo Club Palm Beach, received the President’s Award at the 37th annual Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame Banquet and Annual Sports Awards.
The banquet and awards ceremony was held Sunday, March 24 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
In 37 years of presenting the Hall of Fame Banquet and Annual Sports Awards, the President’s Award has only been proffered on four occasions.
The Palm Beach County Hall of Fame Committee is highly selective when determining a standout to receive the prestigious award, only bestowing it when an individual or entity is deserving in any given year.
“John Wash is deeply dedicated to growing the sport of polo and its spectator base by spearheading multimillion-dollar enhancements at the International Polo Club, making it a top generator of tourism dollars in our county,” said George Linley, executive director of the Palm Beach County Sports Commission. “In addition, it is his generosity in donating the use of prime polo fields, the stadium facility, and resources that allows the Sports Commission to attract national and international sporting events to Palm Beach County, which bring tens of thousands of visitors to our area. It was a unanimous decision by the Hall of Fame Committee.”
In 2012, during its first year at the International Polo Club, the National Field Hockey Festival attracted more than 8,000 people from the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean, generating approximately $10 million in local revenue.
Considered to be one of the largest sporting events in the world, it will return again to IPC over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend.
ABOVE: IPC’s John Wash accepts the 2013 President’s Award last month.
