The just concluded 2025 Bauchi annual polo international tournament was more than just a sporting activity. It was an exciting spectacle featuring Nigeria’s finest and ebullient talents whose display thrilled the spectators from start to finish.
The tournament held with fanfare between July 21and 26 , produced proud champions with Jos Malcomines, Kano Polo Cola, Crown Club and Bauchi Tripple sharing top honours.
Defending champions, Jos Malcomines brushed aside former champions and arch rival, Bauchi Dokaji to win the event’s biggest prize, Governor Cup. It was their sixth times in a show of supremacy, extending their dominance at the biggest polo tournament in the North Eastern part of the country.
Yet the biggest roar of the tournament came from the Jos Crown Club & Resort team and the Kano Pop Cola that won the highly revered Emir of Bauchi Cup and Sarki Fulani Cup respectively.
One of the fiercely contested finals that kept the overcrowded at the Col. Umar Dangiwa polo ground on its feet from start to finish, saw visiting Pop Cola team from Kano ride to victory and earn Sir Tafawa Balewa Cup- their first ever Bauchi major polo title.
The coveted prize Tafawa Balewa Cup, played in ever lasting memory of the late Nigeria’s Prime Minister and Bauchi native, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, was one of the trophies that powered the tournament from start to finish with equally match teams displaying their awesome talents.
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Special Guest of Honour at the grand finale Executive Governor of Bauchi state, Senator Bala Mohammed, congratulated the winners of various trophies and all the participants during the tournament. He reiterated the state government’s commitment towards developing sports in the state.
Represented by the Commissioner for Sport and Youth Development, Salisu Gamawa, he further added that the game of Polo and other sports are given all the necessary boost in the state. He further called on the people to continue to be dedicated and committed to nation building and peaceful coexistence through sports.
In their closing remarks, Vice President of Bauchi Polo Club, Gen I.I Adamu alongside the Vice President, Aliyu Sambo and Secretary Hasruna Ningi all expressed delight with the state government and other sponsors, for their loyalty to the sports of kings. They also lauded the sportsmanship, discipline and peaceful conduct of both the players and spectators.
Long established as one of the premier attractions in the country and beyond, polo has been played there at the Mingi Road polo arena for decades now.
The annual Bauchi polo event has been unique particularly in the last decade for so many reasons. It has remained unique for what most people call “The Spirit of the Game.”
That spirit is an unwritten code of conduct where players govern their own actions on the field. The game relies on an honor system where nobody should intentionally cheat for the sake of the integrity of the sport.