Imphal, Jan. 3 (EMN): With the theme “Save Pony Save Polo Save Polo-ground”, the 34th men’s and 13th women’s and the 1st junior boys’ U-16 State Polo Tournament 2018 was started at Mapal Kangjeibung in Imphal on Wednesday. The tournament is organised by the All Manipur Polo Association (AMPA).
Minister of consumer affairs, revenue and weight and measures Karam Shyam was the chief guest of the inaugural function and President Dr Konsam Saratchandra Singh of AMPA as the functional President.
Stressing on the main theme of the tournament, Minister Karam Shyam said we must make strenuous efforts to save the ponies of Manipur considering the fact that the animal occupies a unique place for identifying the state at the global level.
He appealed the polo Associations of the state to make a collaborative effort to increase the total strength of the ponies and protect the grazing fields otherwise they would be on the verge of extinction after some few years.
As a Revenue Minister, he is ready to contribute his best if the public wants to create a separate reserved habitat for promoting the dwelling places of these animals and their preservation, he appealed. “Government is ready to shoulder the big responsibility of saving the ponies of Manipur and promote polo”, he added and donated INR 25,000 to support Sagol Kangei, a popular traditional sports of Manipur.
In his speech, Dr Konsam Saratchandra said that we need to invest skills, wisdom and money to make the polo survive as it is different from other games.
Thangmeiband Youth Polo Club and K & M Memorial Riding School,Singjamei scored 4 goals each during the opening match of the tournament on Wednesday.
