Players arrive as GTBank Lagos Polo gallops off today

Some of the best Nigerian players and their foreign counterparts have arrived in Lagos for the prestigious GTB International Polo Championship, which gallops off at the Lagos Polo Club, Ribadu Road, Ikoyi today.

The GTB Lagos International Polo Championship is a 10-day event, which offers prizes in various categories to the successful participants. It will be flagged off by the Silver Cup, which traditionally is the first event on the card, with three matches featuring teams from Lagos, Kano and Ibadan.

Also to happen today is the Low Cup, which would close the day’s activities.

In this year’s competition, 33 teams have been listed to compete in four cups, with 12 battling in the Silver Cup, which is the lowest grade in the tournament.

Five teams will contest for the top prize in the medium-goal Low Cup, while the prestigious Majekodunmi Cup, which will round off the polo extravaganza, will feature two teams, STL of Lagos and Abuja-based Almat.

The Open Cup and the Majekodunmi Cup, which are billed for the concluding week, will have high-profile players from Argentina, United Kingdom, South Africa and a host of top Nigerian players participating.

Debuting STL of Lagos has Abuja-based Almat to contend with and a triumph for any of the contesting teams would see them joining the elite group of winners, which include 2018 champions Fifth Chukker of Kaduna.

Speaking on the championship, Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Segun Agbaje, said the financial institution identified with polo because of the love it had for the game and sports in general.

According to him, “the passion and the symbiosis between the players and their horses, but most importantly, we hold a strong affinity to the sport of kings because it reflects quality, competitiveness and fair play; some of the values that have made GTBank a Proudly African and Truly International Financial Institution.”

Tournament Manager, Seyi Oyinlola promised two weeks of exhilarating and thrilling polo, urging “polo lovers to turn out in large numbers to feel the glamour associated with the game of Kings.”