Ibadan agog for 2020 annual Polo Carnival.
As the national polo tournament heads to the ancient Oyo Kingdom, organizers of the prestigious Ibadan annual polo tournament have promised that the 2020 edition of the glamorous fiesta will be the most exciting in years, with the best players within and outside the country confirming their participation.
The annual fiesta known for its exciting atmosphere and relaxed setting, is scheduled to gallop off from the last weekend of March, through to the first week of April 2020, in Ibadan the Oyo State capital.
The traditional venue of the grand fiesta remains the foremost Elelyele polo ground tucked away in the middle of the city and is currently undergoing rehabilitation.
The Eleyele theatre comes with its natural and inviting appeal that offers a world-class sports venue in a casually elegant environment.
Ibadan polo Captain, Koyinsola Owoeye who dropped this hint in an exclusive chat with Polo Royals, stated that arrangements are in top gear to ensure that the grand event will remain an epoch that will linger for long in the memories of all participants, invited guests and enthusiasts of the king of games.
“Ibadan tournament has over the years set a unique example as one of the most exciting polo event in the country and we have put together a package that would make the tournament the most exciting ever,” Vice Captain Edozie Onwuli said.
“We would have teams featuring players as young as 15 years in this edition, as a result of the club’s many efforts to increase the awareness for the game among younger generation and it’s going to be a full house this year, as teams from major polo centres across the country have confirmed their participation.
According to Owoeye, about twenty teams coming from Kano, Kaduna, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Lagos have confirmed participation as the best players and patrons in the country converge on Ibadan.
As at the last count, over fourteen heavily fortified visiting teams are invading the foremost Eleyele rolling polo ground for the event, just as host Ibadan is throwing in as many teams into what promises to be a fiercely contest Ibadan’2020 polo extravaganza.
Owoeye who led Ibadan quest for one the biggest prizes at the recently concluded Lagos international tourney, said the major prize at stake would include, the Ibadan Cup presented in the early 1930s by Colonel R. Petit of the 9th Lancer of the then British military.
Others are the Rotimi Cup, Ade Alakija Cup played in memory of the former Ibadan Polo Captain, and The GOC Cup as well as a handful selected prizes and awards.
Polo Royals can confirm that these subsidiary prizes to be carted home by the winners include the Professor Jide Owoeye Cup, HST Cup and Shoreline Cup, among others.
“We are ready for our tournament with the right frame of mind, having picked up a few tricks from other tournaments we participated so far. Anybody who stands on our way in any of the cups we are targeting would pay dearly for it,” Owoeye warned.
Watch out for Lagos and Kano contingent to rekindle their age long rivalry here, but with the return of Kaduna pundits are hard pressed from picking the winning contingent at the end of the day.
Nigeria’s top rated professional and Kaduna talisman, Bello Buba believes that their contingent that returned to winning ways last year would be up to the billing when the battle for honours gallop off.
Last year, the prestigious Ibadan polo rumble pitched teams from three major polo clubs across the country and after an exciting week of intensive campaign, the titles were lopsidedly shared. Fatigue with organizing challenges, host Ibadan only managed a runners’-up finish in Ade Alakija
Cup and Governor Ajimobi Cup respectively.
Lagos STL maintained its impressive Ibadan form by carting home the event’s second biggest prize, the Ade Alakija Cup, Kaduna that has been absent from the Eleyele polo ground for some years, showed how much they missed the tournament, shooting down tough oppositions to clinch the Rotimi Cup.
“As is traditional, Ibadan has always been an unforgettable experience both for the players and spectators alike. Ibadan city is in a buoyant mood and this prestigious polo carnival that usually draws the biggest crowd to the city on an annual basis, promises to thrill from start to finish.