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ISLAMABAD: Three-day famous Shandoor polo festival will be held on July 15 in Chitral at the world highest Polo ground.
The Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) has finalised the schedule for the Festival, an official of TCKP told APP. The festival regularly held each year from July 7 to 9th but this year Eid-ul-Fitr is likely to fall on those dates due to which the schedule was changed.
According to an official of TCKP, now the Shandur Polo Festival will be held from July 15 to 17. Shandur Polo Festival is one of the big festivals in Pakistan.
The polo which is played between the polo teams of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is experienced as a free-style polo match. Passion for Polo will be the highest on the world’s highest Polo ground. Every year, Shandur invites visitors to experience a traditional polo tournament between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit.
The festival also includes Folk music, Folk dance, traditional sports and a Camping Villages is be set up on the Pass. Polo was introduced in South Asia, by the Muslim conquerors in the 13th century. English word `Polo” is in fact a Balti word meaning, “ball”.
In ancient times, there was no limit to the number of players and no time limit. Which team scored nine goals first, became the winner. Today, there are six players to each side, but this is by no means a rule in local polo games. The game lasts for one hour with a ten-minute break. Chitral, Gilgit and Skardu have always played the game of polo closest to its original form.
