Imphal, Mar 26 (ANI): Young boys from 18 different polo clubs across Manipur participated in the recently concluded 26th N. Hazari state level polo tournament to preserve and promote the sport among the youth in the region.
Organized under the theme "For a good cause", the tournament aimed at promoting polo in the region.
"As everybody knows that polo originated from Manipur, so we want to keep this game alive. The popularity of the game has been decreasing in Manipur so in order to continue this game we joined together and formed Polo Association for improvement of this game in Manipur," said N.Bedajit Singh, Chairman, Technical Committee.
The tournament is a brainchild of Manipur Horse Riding Association and Polo Association. The two entities joined hands in 1985 to revive the sport that was going through a slump.
Though Polo has been historically associated with Manipur, inadequate infrastructures and high costs associated with the game have resulted in a fall in popularity of the sport.
But efforts by the state polo and horse riding associations are giving a boost to not just Polo but other equestrian sports in the region.
A revival is indicated by increased participation in this year's tournament that was much higher than the previous years.
"I hope that our Association and other department would conduct more such kind of tournaments so that we can play more to improve our performance," said Baikin Salam, a participant.
"In Polo, players need sponsorships. Most of the players here are poor. Some of them are in police, some are students and many are farmers. I would like to request the government, police, VIP or other department to promote players for Manipur for polo game," added Girimohon, another participant.
The government has also established All Manipur Polo Association for the growth of Polo in the state. (ANI)
|
|
Comments:
