Chitral upset Gilgit by 7-5 goals to claim Shandur Polo Festival title

Promising young Polo player Ilyas's two timely goals and a goal scored by star player Miraj guided Chitral to a comfortable 7-5 victory against Gilgit Baltistan (GB) by claiming the Shandur Polo Festival 2023 title. 

The trilling freestyle game was played at the world's highest Polo ground, situated on Shandur Pass in the Upper Chitral district on Sunday.

The final game started with a high speed as players of both teams tried hard to outclass the other in the first half amid cheering hands by a large number of spectators. 

In the first half, Chitral were leading 3-1 and went on to extend their advantage to 4-1 in the second half.

However, the Gilgit team made an impressive comeback with two quick goals to make the match interesting. They came close to levelling the match on numerous occasions but Chitral players held their nerve to win the match 7-5.

The three-day Shandur Polo festival took place from July 7 to 9 with participants from various parts of the country. Besides Polo, the participants enjoyed traditional food and cultural dances besides rock climbing, trekking and paragliding.

The tribes from the regions of Gilgit and Chitral meet at the Shandur pass every summer. The pass has a beautiful polo ground where unique free-style polo is played among different teams of the region.

Shandur Polo Ground is considered to be the highest polo ground in the world at 3,700 meters where the historic game has been played since 1930. The polo ground is adjacent to Shandur Lake. The festival provides an amazing cultural experience to visitors in the Hindukush mountain ranges.

Later, the Shandur polo trophy 2023 was handed over to the winning team Captain amid laughter by the players and their supporters. Chitral won the festival continuously with a record 13 times.