Shandur polo festival will be held on July 22 in Chitral at the world highest Polo ground.
Shandur Polo Festival takes place on July 7 to 9th each year, however in 2016 the festival was rescheduled for July 22 due to Eid-ul-Fitr after consulting the district administration of Chitral.
Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) officials while talking to APP said , “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 22 to 24.
Shandoor Polo Festival is one of the big festivals in Pakistan.
Read: Gilgit-Baltistan government boycotts Shandur polo festival
The festival is famous for the polo match 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.
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.
