Islamabad: Jul 03, 2022 (TNS): The three-day long Shandur Polo Festival 2022 concluded today with colorful celebrations. The event is unique in the world and is held at a height of 12,264 feet on a polo field. During the current festival, more than 15,000 tourists visited on a daily basis. The polo teams from Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral competed in the final match, which was won by Chitral with a margin of 10-9 goals.
The spectators praised the paragliders of Pakistan Army Physical Training School Abbottabad and SSG Commandos of the Pakistan Army, who put on a spectacular performance of para trooping and performed many daring acrobatics in the skies, making the event one to remember.
A musical performance showcasing the traditions of Chitral, Gilgit, and Baltistan, as well as stunning fireworks, captivated the tourists the night before the final match.Children from Gilgit-Baltistan performed national melodies, while young boys from Kalash Valley demonstrated traditional dances. Along with Zek Afridi’s Shandur song, the concert also featured traditional music from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan, which was well received by the audience.
Major General Adil Yamin, Inspector General Frontier Corps (North) was the Chief Guest at the closing ceremony. Chief Guest also distributed prizes and trophies among the winners. The special guest also presented the victors with prizes and trophies.Shandur Polo Festivalis a sports festival held annually from 7th to 9th July in Shandur Polo Ground,Chitral , Pakistan. The polo tournament is played between the teams of Gilgit-Baltistan Districts and Chitral District, under freestyle rules.Organized and financed by both Upper Chitral District and Gilgit Baltistan Government. The tournament is held at Shandur Top which is the world highest polo ground at an altitude of 3,700 meters (the pass itself is at 3,800 meters). The festival also includes folk music, dancing and a camping village is set up. The polo tournament is featured in the first episode of Himalaya with Michael Palin.Polo is an equestrian sport first played in Central Asia in 6th century BC. Its objective was to train the cavalry and simulate a real-life battle.
In 1935, UK Administrator for Northern Areas Evelyn Hey Cobb asked Balti Raja of Skardu, Ali Sher Khan Anchan, and Nambardar of Chitral, Niat Qabool Hayat Kakakhel, to construct a polo ground in Shandur, which was duly completed with the help of the local population. This polo ground was later on named as “Mas Junali”. The word “Mass Junali” is derived from Khowar language. The word “Mas” means moon and “Junali” means polo ground.
Cobb was impressed by Kakakhail’s resourcefulness and efficiency and wished to reward him for his service, but Kakakhail refused to accept any reward for his work. Instead, for the common benefit, Kakakhail asked Cobb to bring trout to stock the local streams. Cobb ordered live trout from England and dropped them into the Ghizer River. Due to this service, the Directorate of Fisheries was established and hundreds of people were employed. Now, the mass of those fishes in Hundarap Lake reaches 24 kg and in Baha Lake Khukush Nallah, their mass reaches 40 kg Therefore, Mas Junali became a source of connection between the people of Chitral District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and neighbouring Gilgit-Baltistan.Free-styled mountain polo is arguably polo in its purest form. This version of the game played at Shandur Top has attained legendary status and is of great interest to international and domestic adventure tourists alike.
There are no umpires and there are no holds barred. In The Roof of the World, Amin/Willets/Tetley write: “by comparison, an American Wild West rodeo might pass for choir practice.”[10] As one player once mentioned: “You can ride head-on into the opponent, if you dare.”In order to decide the final teams to play at the Shandur Polo Festival, preliminary matches are played both in Chitral and Gilgit, in which the best horses and players are chosen for the final games by the local juries. The festival begins on 7th July. During the course of the tournament A, B, C and D teams of Chitral and Gilgit battle it out on the polo field. Each team has six members with 2 to 4 reserve players in case of injury etc. The match usually lasts one hour. It is divided into two halves, with a ten-minute interval. During intervals, the locals enthrall the audiences with traditional and cultural performances. The game is decided in favour of the team scoring more goals. The final is held on 9th July.
The field measures about 200 meters by 56 meters (a regular polo field is about 270m by 150m), with 60 cm high stone walls running the length of the field on both sides instead of boards. As six players make up one side, the field can get fairly crowded. This has the advantage of slightly slowing down the pace, which, all things considered, is probably somewhat safety-enhancing. Players rarely wear helmets, the horses’ legs often have no bandages, and mallets often have no grips or straps.The festival has been canceled for the past two years due to the Corona epidemic, but was reopened in 2022 as conditions improved. Locals and domestic and foreign tourists were eagerly awaiting the release. Secretary Tourism, Sports and Culture Tahir inaugurated the festival by throwing Ball. Commissioner Malakand Division Shaukat Yousafzai, RPO mlakand and Deputy Commissioner Upper Chitral were also present on the occasion. On the first day of the festival, three matches were played, the first match was played between Laspor (Chitral) and Ghizr teams, in which Laspor defeated Ghizr by 15 goals to 4. In which Gilgit D defeated Chitral. The last match was played between Sub Division Mastuja and Sub Division Yaseen which after a thrilling contest Sub Division Mastuja won by 7 goals to 6.
