BY DANIEL NHAKANISO ZIMBABWE Polo Association chairman Jonathan Passaportis has expressed his gratitude to the local business community for their support of the sport locally as it continues to recover from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Passaportis’ remarks come after one of Zimbabwe’s most prestigious equestrian fixtures on the annual sporting and social calendar, the Titan Law Senior Open made its long-awaited return after a two-year absence with a memorable event held at Thornpark Polo Grounds along the Mazowe Road last weekend.
The event which was sponsored by the premier Pan-African law firm Titan Law, featured four sponsored teams namely Carbon Africa Green, Seedco, Valley Irrigation and the eventual winners PT Chemicals.
Passaportis said they were impressed by the support the sport has been receiving which has been complemented by the high level of competition and exceptional horsemanship amongst competing players from the teams.
“The Titan Law Senior Polo Open 2022 was an incredible success – especially considering we have been unable to host this tournament for over 2 years due to the pandemic,” Passaportis told The Sports Hub in an interview.
“We are delighted with the support the business community has shown to our sport. The survival and onward growth of our sport has been made possible by the continued support of Titan Law, to whom we are eternally grateful. We are also thankful to the team sponsors Seedco, Pulse Group, Carbon Green Africa and Valley Irrigation and to RwandAir and Banc ABC for their continued support.
“With four teams with a handicap of eight goals each competing, the Open is definitely one of the highlights of our local season and the 2022 tournament illustrated exactly why the sport has such a unique place within Zimbabwean culture. The level of polo was amazing throughout the three days with every game being hard fought and the winner only being decided in the last chukka on the last day.”
In addition to the premium hospitality, world-class entertainment and exceptional horsemanship which was on the show, one of the highlights of this year’s Titan Law Senior Open was the fashion side as the invited guests put their best fashion foot forward.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“The fashion on show in the Titan Law VIP Zone was spectacular as illustrated by the hard-fought RwandAir Best Dressed Awards with the eventual winners Mr Manfred Chaniwa and Mrs Kayla Meikle scooping the flights to Cape Town and London respectively.
Last weekend’s Senior Polo Open came hard on the heels of a successful Titan Law International Match between Zimbabwe and Zambia at the same venue recently.
The two-day international match, which marked the return of international polo in the country since the Covid-19 pandemic, was won by the hosts’ select side, beating neighbours Zambia 14-13.5.
The curtain is expected to come down on what has been an entertaining local polo season today when the country’s future stars compete in the Junior Open which is also being hosted at Thornpark Polo Grounds.
“Polo Association of Zimbabwe is encouraging the development of local players and this is beginning to bear fruit with the “SeedCo” and eventual tournament winners’ “Pulse Group” teams comprising 100% local players,” said Passaportis, who was part of the SeedCo team.
“The Valley Irrigation and Carbon Green Africa teams were built around strong local players who have additional good quality horses. This enabled the teams to use the services of international players who rode the “extra” horses.
“These international players raise the level of the competition and through this exposure, our local players improve and develop. On the field, the polo was played hard and fast but players maintained a high level of sportsmanship and respect throughout – even in the really close games and the future of our sport looks to be positive,” he said.
Polo is one of the oldest sports in the country having been first played in the 1890s remaining a minority sport since, but it has been growing in popularity in the past few years.
Titan Law Senior Polo Open results at a glance
Thursday: Valley Irrigation 8.5 – 8s Carbon Green, PT Chemicals 9 -6.5 SeedCo
Friday: PT Chemicals 7.5-7 Valley Irrigation, Carbon Green 12-9 SeedCo
Saturday: Valley Irrigation 10 vs SeedCo 5.5, PT Chemicals 10.5 vs Carbon Green 5
