A match between Argentina and Manipur on the inaugural day of Women Polo Tournament in Imphal. Image: Northeast Now.

With a traditional musical sequence, the 4th edition of the Manipur Statehood Day Women’s Polo Tournament 2019 was formally inaugurated at Mapal Kangjeibung, oldest living polo ground in the world, here on Thursday.

The tournament which will continue till January 21 was organised by All Manipur Polo Association (AMPA) under the sponsorship of the Department of Tourism.

On the first match of the opening day, Canada trounced Indian Polo Association (IPA-India) by 7-4 goals in the first match of the tournament which was participated by four foreign countries such as USA, Kenya, Canada and Argentina besides two other domestic teams –IPA-India and IPA-Manipur. In the second match of the day, Argentina beat host IPA-Manipur team by a margin of 5-3 goals.

Manipur Consumers affairs food and public distribution, Revenue Minister Karam Shyam, President Dr K Saratchandra Singh of AMPA, Chief Secretary Dr Suresh Babu, Secretary (Tourism) Nidhi Kesarwani and Director (Tourism) W Ibohal Singh attended inaugural function of the tournament.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Karam Shyam recollected that even though the movement to take part in Polo by the Manipuri women sowed seeds since 1989, only a few women actually participated in the game for the first time in 1993.

AMPA should encourage female participation in the game of polo so that they take part in large number just like their male counterparts and supports the view that Manipur is the region in the world where polo originated, he stated.

Appreciating the Manipuri women for their ability to work hard and excel in diverse fields including social issues, the Minister said that the Government would always support and take seriously any matter relating to public interest.

Dr K Saratchandra assured that the AMPA Association is looking forward to have more women polo players in Manipur and also said that plan was in the pipeline to impart training to them.

Sobhapati Samom is Northeast Now Correspondent in Imphal. He can be reached at: [email protected]