PROFILE
BABA KYARI It’s clear to the secretary of the Nigeria Polo Federation: if the game is to prosper in Africa, it needs to be repositioned as the sport of the people, rather than the game of kings ILLUSTRATION PHIL DISLEY
I recently met with Nicholas ColquhounDenvers, president of the Federation of International Polo (FIP). He was concerned about the level of the game being played in Africa and that most African polo-playing countries were not participating in FIP activities. I gave my opinion as to the reasons for this lack of participation, which is primarily the handicap level for the FIP World Cup and how it is impossible for those countries to raise teams to fit into the format. We agreed it was imperative to create a tournament format suited for 4–6 goals to enable the participation of these countries – and thus the idea of a Pan-Africa Polo Championship was born. The nuts and bolts are still being worked out, but this initiative represents a new beginning. I have long been concerned about the growth of polo in Africa, which is the continent most likely to be the next frontier for the game’s development. For our sport to be known worldwide, we need to tap into all potential hotspots, and Africa presents an old yet all-new arena. Polo first came to Africa by virtue of the British colonial army and was played in South Africa in the 1890s. Its popularity then spread to west Africa and other British colonies and, by the early 1900s, was well rooted in most British protectorates, including Ghana, Sudan, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe. I have worked in polo administration both at club and national levels in Nigeria and had the
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honour of interacting with some of the most interesting administrators both at home and abroad. My father was a player and had been the secretary of our polo association, and I was privileged to be quite close to the late General Hassan Usman Katsina, chairman of the Nigerian Polo Association and a member of the famous royal household who had propagated the game throughout northern Nigeria in the early days. These two men no doubt shaped my opinion about what I think polo should be and how it might get there. There is a need to elevate polo in Africa and I often ponder how this can best be achieved. A recent report on CNN stated that hired ‘assassins’ are taking polo to the next level in Nigeria – by which the journalist meant the Argentines. The news story indicated that the participation of Argentine professionals is upping the game in Nigeria because it presents a higher handicap of play. For me, this is to the detriment of the local playing community, especially those who aspire to be professionals but are denied the necessary exposure and playing time. The story also indicated that the horses used were imported, which means there is no active local horse-breeding programme – in stark contrast with the estimated 3,000 Argentine-bred horses that have been imported into Nigeria in the past 30 years. Some of our own actions, meanwhile, have tended to make polo a high-stakes and expensive
game, and this turns people off right from the beginning. We need to develop home-grown talent. This should include an active youthengagement and training scheme. There is also a need to lower the entry level for the sport by requiring a smaller financial outlay – and local breeding will surely help in this regard. Unfortunately, there are people who feel polo ought to be high stakes, and others who also steadfastly hold on to the premise that polo is the ‘game of kings and the king of games’. I obviously think otherwise. Right from its earliest roots, polo caught the fancy of royalty the world over. The grace of the horse coupled with the charm of the regal player on horseback was an instant attraction. Royalty and high society bedecked themselves in the vivid colours of pomp and pageantry to attract spectators and to make the sport aptly deserving of the aforementioned title. While I am not worried about polo being the game of kings, it is the second part of the epithet that concerns me. While, as a player, I appreciate why the gracefulness, commitment, skill and thrill of an exciting match can make polo the king of games, I see football, tennis, cricket and golf as having taken the lead in that regard. I believe this is due in part to their accessibility to both players and spectators. We must do away with the regal illusion and try harder! I have always marvelled at what has been achieved in the world of golf. I have wondered
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03/10/2016 15:32
