Hold your horses, Noida’s rooting for cycle polo!

After hosting cricket, football and motorsports, Noida recently played host to a polo match. Played at the Zonal Sports Complex in Greater Noida, the event was organized by Bharat Polo Association and supported by the Greater Noida Authority. The two-day event saw the participation of some of the top polo players in the country, including the sport's only Arjuna awardee, Samir Suhag.

Day 1 was marked by a performance by the Border Security Force (BSF) band, followed by teams from the Indian Air Force playing bicycle polo. Then came the main event, the horse polo, where riders and their horses showed their skills. Three teams - representing the Indian Navy, Bharat Polo and the Greater Noida Authority - battled it out to win the Diplomat Cup and the Bharat Polo Trophy.

The second day of the championship saw diplomats and envoys from Argentina, Lesotho, Egypt, Lebanon, Columbia, Peru, Chile, Mexico, Bosnia and Serbia in attendance. Also present were officials from the Greater Noida Authority, including chairman Rama Raman, CEO Deepak Agarwal and GM Rajiv Tyagi, apart from Vice Admiral (Retd) Surinder Pal Singh Cheema, India Expo Mart chairman Rakesh Kumar, Rajat Rai Khatri and Vandana Vadhera. The Bharat Polo team won the competition on Day 1, while the Greater Noida Authority team won on the second day.

Agarwal said, "Polo has always been considered a sport of the elite. By trying to bring bicycle polo here, we are trying to present it as a game for the masses. I'm sure that there are enthusiastic cyclists who can take up this sport. We've been trying to promote the city as a sports hub, and this goes a long way in achieving that because a game like polo not only gets the sports lovers, but also the who's who of Delhi, to Greater Noida."

Suhag added, "We usually play in Delhi. I know Noida is developing a sports town, but I suppose it's the first time we have had polo here. So, going by that, the response was good. We had youngsters coming up to us and asking about the game and how it is played, which shows there is interest in it here. It's too early to say what shape it will take, but I'm sure Noida, over the years, can develop a culture of polo."