‘Bauchi spends N5m on 2017 polo tournament’

The Captain of Bauchi State Polo Club, Mr Adamu Ahmed, says the state government has released N5 million to the club to accomplish the 2017 ongoing polo tournament.

Ahmed made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi.

He said that the tournament which began on Monday would host about 85 players from six states in the northern part of the country with 28 teams.

“The participating states are: Bauchi, Katsina, Kaduna, Zaria, Plateau and Adamawa.

“The N5 million is meant for the organisation, accommodation, logistics and trophies for the tournament. We are grateful for the financial support of the Bauchi State Government, the state is outstanding in the game of Polo,” Ahmed said.

Polo is a team sport played on horseback with the objective to score goals against an opposing team.

Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team’s goal using a long-handled mallet.

The traditional sport of polo is played on a grass field up to 300 by 160 yards (270 by 150 m) and each polo team consists of four riders and their mounts.

Field polo is played with a solid plastic ball which has replaced the wooden version of the ball in much of the sport.

In arena polo, only three players are required per team and the game usually involves more maneuvering and shorter plays at lower speeds due to space limitations of arenas.

Arena polo is played with a small air-filled ball, similar to a small football.

The modern game lasts roughly two hours and is divided into periods called chukkas (occasionally rendered as “chukkers”.

Polo is played professionally in 16 countries and was formerly an Olympic sport.