As preparations for season opening polo tournament heighten, the Katsina State Governor, Dikko Umar Radda has thrown his weight behind the prestigious 2023 Katsina International Polo Tournament.
The prestigious polo festival is billed to gallop off with pomp and ceremony from August 28 and climax September 3 at the foremost Usman Nagogo Polo Ground in Katsina.
Apart from ensuring that the state government retains its traditional statue as the main sponsor of the tournament, the governor is also supporting the infrastructural upgrading at the club with the rebuilding of the Club House, the renovation of the pavilions and the playing turf.
Radda who was hosted to a victory polo tournament by Katsina Polo Club after his swearing in ceremony, also promised to reposition the noble game in the state to its preeminent status as the “Home of Nigerian Polo “
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The century-old international polo fiesta enjoys the solid backing of the Katsina State Government, Katsina Emirate Council, the Lamido Adamawa, governments of neighbouring states and a handful of corporate organizations, and prominent individuals.
As teams finalize their strategies ahead of the exciting festival, , the polo loving Governor described polo and sports generally as not only a veritable tool for fostering friendship, national unity and cultural understanding but also a magnet for international diplomacy and global investment.
He added that the state government and indeed his administration is proud to host and support the foremost Katsina Polo Club which was founded in early 1920s and its choice sport of polo as a way of showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the state to the world and a demonstration that the state welcomes prospective investors.
Further checks revealed that the ancient kingdom is bubbling with excitement as the prestigious tournament will electrify polo enthusiasts as the tournament would be witnessed expectedly by political bigwigs, diplomats and captains of industry.
The polo grand slam that is traditionally hosted by the Emir of Katsina, and Life President of the Nigerian Polo, Alhaji Abdulmumuni Kabir Usman, is billed to climax with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expected as Special Guest of Honour.
Major prizes that are traditionally up for grabs during the polo festival include the highly revered Nigerian Cup, Gen. Hassan Katsina Cup, Talba Cup and Coomassie Cup. Others include the President’s Cup, Nagogo Memorial Cup, Dikko Memorial Cup and the Governor’s Cup, among others.
Individual honours and awards are also on offer to be given out to players who would distinguish themselves during the fiesta.
Sarki confirmed that the list of participants that reads very much like ‘who-is-who; not only of the sport of polo but also of the business world and a number of aristocratic families are expected from Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kaduna, Abuja, Minna, and Sokoto, among others.