The 2024 Yola international polo tournament billed to gallop off on September 23 has been postponed till October, no thanks to the devastating Maiduguri flood that has taken many lives and rendered millions of people in Borno State and its environs homeless.
The captain of Yola Polo Club, Mohammed Baba, who disclosed this to Polo Royals, announced the tournament has been shifted to October 14-19, 2024 at its traditional venue, the Lamido Musdafa Polo Ground in the Adamawa State capital city.
He said “On behalf of the Management of Yola Polo Club, I want to inform all the expected participating teams, players, polo clubs, our esteemed sponsors and stakeholders that the 2024 tournament earlier scheduled to hold from September 23-28, 2024 has been regrettably shifted owing to the devastating flood in neighbouring Maiduguri, Borno State.
“Owing to loss of lives and displacement activities in Maiduguri and indeed the flood alert warning by the Adamawa State Government starting from September 16, our 2024 international tournament has been rescheduled to gallop off from October 14 and climax on October19, 2024.”
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The Yola Polo Captain apologised for any inconvenience the postponement may have caused all the stakeholders, invited guests, and polo enthusiasts across the country and beyond.
He added that the shift in date was to enable residents to adequately comply with the flood alert warnings.
Baba also confirmed that major prizes at stake during the weeklong polo extravaganza include the high-stake Governor’s Cup and the Lamido Cup which is the oldest prize in the over 92 years old history of the tournament.
The annual polo tournament is sponsored by the Adamawa State government and other sponsors, and has the royal blessings of Lamido Adamawa, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa.
The festival which prides itself as the biggest tourism attraction in Adamawa State since polo was introduced in the kingdom in the early 1930s, remains the biggest polo fiesta in the north-eastern part of the country.
At last year’s edition, the prestigious Yola international polo tournament recorded another milestone as defending champions, Jos Malcomines wrote their names in gold as they became the first team to win the tournament four times on the trot.
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