‘The result was beyond our expectations’
Polo team manager upbeat about the sport’s future.
LAHORE:
Pakistan polo team manger Abdul Qadir Mamdot has said that although the sport may not have a huge fan base, the future remained bright.
The national team recently qualified for the World Cup after a gap of eight years, having first achieved the feat in 2003 when the qualifying round was hosted by Pakistan. Mamdot expressed his optimism.
“The game, in recent years, has been adopted professionally by players in the country,” Mamdot told The Express Tribune. “Though it’s an expensive sport, but the way it’s approached here has now changed. Previously a certain class of people played it only for entertainment. Now it’s being pursued professionally.”
In the recent qualifying round hosted by Malaysia, Pakistan ended up as the losing finalists to India. Before that loss, however, the team had topped the table in the preliminary games.
“We had selected a mix of youth and experience with the present combination having never played together before, but they did well enough to qualify for the World Cup,” he said. “The result was beyond our expectations.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2011.
Pakistan polo team manger Abdul Qadir Mamdot has said that although the sport may not have a huge fan base, the future remained bright.
The national team recently qualified for the World Cup after a gap of eight years, having first achieved the feat in 2003 when the qualifying round was hosted by Pakistan. Mamdot expressed his optimism.
“The game, in recent years, has been adopted professionally by players in the country,” Mamdot told The Express Tribune. “Though it’s an expensive sport, but the way it’s approached here has now changed. Previously a certain class of people played it only for entertainment. Now it’s being pursued professionally.”
In the recent qualifying round hosted by Malaysia, Pakistan ended up as the losing finalists to India. Before that loss, however, the team had topped the table in the preliminary games.
“We had selected a mix of youth and experience with the present combination having never played together before, but they did well enough to qualify for the World Cup,” he said. “The result was beyond our expectations.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 29th, 2011.