City to witness first international women’s arena polo

Hyderabad has the distinction of having way back in early 1900 Sahibzadi Begum Qamarunissa played for one of the first woman polo teams of the world by the name “Golconda Fairies’.

So, when Nasr Polo, an equestrian sports centre on Shankarpally highway near the city, run by her descendants Mir Mohiuddin and Mir Hafeezuddin Ahmed, plays a lead role in reviving women’s polo in a big way, it should not be a surprise.

Now, the city will witness the first international women’s arena polo under floodlights when the Nasr Polo gets off from January 11 to 14 here.

The event also marks organising polo clinics for budding women polo players from across the country by the American women’s team. Essentially, it will be a contest between Team US Polo Association (USPA) and Team Nasr-India.

“We have about 20 women and 40 men who train regularly at our Nasr Polo and the fee is very nominal, about Rs. 800 for per session of eight ridings. We have qualified coaches who take care of the individuals depending on their interest and the skills they show,” Mir Mohiuddin tells The Hindu .

“If someone shows the spark to be a quality polo player, we do give him or her professional training to mould such talent into champion,” he says.

Some of the Indian players featured for this event are Sania Jabbar of Delhi, Namrata of Chennai and Rajvi Rao and Chaya, both from Hyderabad.

Huntrel Equine is the brainchild behind the event which is part of the USPA-led initiative to support, promote and develop women’s polo in India.

Apart from Hyderabad, among cities which are to host this event are Imphal (January 17 to 21) and Mumbai (January 24).

USPA’s promotional programme provided select players intensive and specialised training for professional careers in polo and is led by coach-cum-manager Steven Armour besides featuring Stephanie Massey, Audry Persano, Carly Persano and Anna Winslow.