CHITRAL: Two timely goals by promising young player Ilyas and a goal scored by star player Meraj guided Chitral to a comfortable 7-5 victory in the final of Shandur Polo Festival-2023 that concluded at the world’s highest polo ground in Upper Chitral on Sunday.

Peshawar Corps Commander Lt Gen Hassan Azhar Hayat was the special guest of the final match. Before the start of the matches, the teams of both Chitral and Gilgit were introduced to him. A large number of local and foreign tourists participated in the festival.

The closing ceremony included a tableau presented by school students while paragliders and paratroopers also displayed their skills.

The festival was jointly organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority, Pakistan Army and the district administration.

During the festival, local artists of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) performed at a musical concert on the previous day. Artistic works of talented people of Chitral and GB were also displayed at the event.

Stalls had also been set up for promoting the local culture. A large number of local and foreign tourists attended and enjoyed various events during the festival.

The final game started at high speed as players of both the teams tried hard to outclass each other in the first half amid cheering by a large number of spectators. In the first half, Chitral was leading 3-1 and went on to extend their advantage to 4-1 in the second half.

The players of Chitral including captain Israr Wali, Shahzad Ahmad, Amir Hama, Izhar Ali Khan Mohammad Ilyas, and Mirajuddin played well and did not give much time to the GB team to strike back.

However, the GB team made an impressive comeback with two quick goals to make the match interesting. The team came close to levelling the match on numerous occasions but Chitral players held their nerves to win the match 7-5.

The three-day Shandur Polo festival took place from July 7-9. Besides polo, the participants enjoyed traditional food and cultural dances besides rock climbing, trekking and paragliding.

Shandur polo ground is considered to be the highest in the world at 3,700 meters where the historic game has been played since 1930.

The polo ground is adjacent to Shandur Lake. The festival provides an amazing cultural experience to visitors in the Hindukush mountain range.

Later, the Shandur polo trophy 2023 was handed over to the winning team Captain amid celebrations by the players and their supporters. Chitral won the festival record 13th time continuously.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2023