Bashir Hussain Azad | Chitral Today
Chitral, May 9, 2026: The toss ceremony for the upcoming Shandur Polo Tournament 2026, scheduled to be held on May 8 at the Town Hall Chitral, could not take place after disagreements emerged between civilian players and forces’ teams over the tournament format.
The official tournament is scheduled to begin on May 10.
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According to officials, a meeting was held at the Town Hall to finalize the schedule and conduct the toss. However, civilian team players raised objections and demanded that the tournament be structured on the same format used last year.
The players argued that civilian teams should compete among themselves up to the pre-quarter or quarter-final stages, while stronger teams such as the forces and Chitral A should be included in the later rounds.
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Civilian participants said they invest heavily in the sport, spending between 1.2 to 1.5 million rupees annually on maintaining horses, along with additional expenses running into hundreds of thousands.
They stressed that local players and horse owners play a vital role in preserving Chitral’s cultural identity and its traditional sport of polo.
Players said that teams traveling from remote areas of the district spend around 40,000 to 50,000 rupees to participate, but early elimination against stronger sides often discourages them and negatively affects the development of the sport.
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They proposed either maintaining last year’s system, which placed forces’ teams in a separate group, or organizing separate tournaments for civilian and forces teams, similar to the model followed in Gilgit-Baltistan.
The players warned that if their demands are not accepted, they may consider boycotting the tournament.
It is worth mentioning that last year’s Shandur Polo Tournament saw participation from 61 teams across the district, with forces’ teams placed in a separate group following the demands of civilian players. Outstanding performers are later selected for the Shandur Festival.
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Meanwhile, the tournament administration has not yet issued any official statement regarding the revised schedule or format, while civilian players continue to insist on following last year’s structure.