World Military Polo: USA, UK, S/Africa invade Abuja for laurels
From November, the Nigerian capital city, Abuja will be the epic centre of polo activities, as the national tour concludes its festivals in Kaduna with the just concluded 2017 Kaduna international polo tournament.
The national tour that galloped off with fanfare in Katsina, the “Home of Nigerian Polo” in August, swept through Bauchi, the ancient city of commerce, Kano and heads northeast to the Fombina Kingdom in Adamawa,, before making a land fall in Kaduna early this month.
Abuja tour has a bouquet of four highly tournaments, starting with the Twelve Twelve Polo Tournament in a fortnight to the Carnival Polo and Keffi Ranch Extravaganza, but the billboard event in this tour is undoubtedly, the forthcoming World Armed Forces Military Polo Championship to be hosted by Nigeria early 2018.
Polo Royals leant from credible sources in Abuja that arrangements are in top gears for the grand military polo championship that would cement the country’s status one of the world super powers in the annals of the game of kings.
We also gathered that week long polo championship would feature teams from military super powers like United States of America (USA), United Kingdom, Pakistan, India, Jordan, South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and host Nigeria.
We learnt that the Presidency has thrown its weight behind the global military event that is organized and hosted by the Defence Ministry with the Minister, himself a retried polo player who has represented Nigeria in many international military polo games, as the organizing committee boss.
Though details of the grand military polo warfare is still scanty, Polo Royals was told that apart using the event to further strengthen that ongoing cordial military relationships with the participating country, the international polo showdown is packaged as part of event line-up to mark the 2018 Military Remembrance Day celebration.
As part of build up for the Abuja’2018 Military polo showdown, a strong delegation of Nigeria Police polo team would be departing Nigeria for Ghana this weekend, for a series of training tournament with their Ghanaian counterparts in Accra.
On their part, the Nigerian Army has called up its polo players across the country for a month long camping ahead of final selection of the national squad that would fly the Nigerian flag against other super powers at the weeklong international event.
Nigeria set another polo milestone in January 2006 when she organized and hosted the first ever International Military Polo Tournament at the foremost Fifth Chukker Polo & Country Club in Kaduna.
The purpose then was to help develop and enhance Nigeria’s profile throughout the world. The fours day polo tournament featured military polo teams from USA, United Kingdom, South Africa, Egypt, India and host Nigeria.
India Army team won the epoch inaugural championship, while South Africa military team finished second. Nigerian Army team captained by Retired Colonel Dangiwa Umar won the third place medal.
That inaugural edition, which moved to India the following year, was lauded by all the participating country and world military high commands.
Speaking at the 2006 military tournament at Fifth Chukker, the then US ambassador John Campbell said polo taught discipline, team work and a sense of fair play’ – attributes useful both in the military and in ‘a successful democracy’.