PESHAWAR:
The famous Shandur Polo Festival, which was marred by territorial claims last year, opened with its traditional fanfare at the world’s highest polo ground in Chitral on Thursday.
The first match of the tournament took place between Ghizer and Laspur, in which Ghizer bet Laspur with 11 goals to three.
A large number of people turned out to attend the festival after the G-B government took back its decision to boycott it. “I am glad the government has [cancelled] the boycott,” said Chitral Polo Team Captain Shazada Sikandarul Mulk, adding that all the arrangements for the festival were completed by the district administration.
He added, “Polo is an endangered game for local people; their low income level does not allow them to spend on this expensive game.”
The government sponsored the game and provided plots and other privileges to the players, Mulk said. He added that the government no longer seemed interested in the sport; the players have been forced to abandon the sport and take up other jobs. The game is now played at departmental level, which has had an adverse affect to the game’s legacy, explained Mulk.
“The government should reconsider its stand on polo if it wants to keep the game alive,” he remarked.“It has become increasingly difficult to maintain a horse in these times. A healthy horse costs around Rs150,000 to Rs200,000, and its daily expenditure is approximately Rs400-500. In these inflationary times it is impossible to bear such expenses without official patronage,” Mulk said.
Dr Inayatullah Faizi, a columnist and a polo enthusiast, told The Express Tribune that the sporting event was almost 200 years old, adding that the British accounts of polo in Shandur date back to 1890s.
The event officially started in 1914, when Shuaul Mulk, the ruler of Chitral camped in Shandur and invited the Gilgit team, according to Faizi. However, he was called back to his capital as the First World War broke out in Europe.
This version contradicts the common held belief that the tournament was started by Major Evelyn Cobb, a British political agent in the 1930s. “Cobb was stationed in Chitral during 1929-36, when he started playing polo at night.”
In 1989, Benazir Bhutto made Shandur a calendar event falling between July 7 and 9, Faizi added.
The provincial government has also extended an invitation to newlywed British royal couple Prince William and Kate Middleton to watch the final match of the festival.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2011.
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