LAHORE - The Huaneng Shandong Ruyi-sponsored Aibak Polo Cup 2018 will get underway today (Tuesday) here at the Lahore Polo Club (LPC) ground.
Speaking about the tournament, Lahore Polo Club president Irfan Ali Hyder has revealed that as many as top seven teams have been featuring in the 14-goal tournament, which are divided into two pools. Pool A consists of Master Paints Black, Newage/BBJ Pipes, Rijas Aces/PAF and Barry’s while Pool B comprises Army, Diamond Paints/Guard Rice and Rizvi’s/Master Paints. The opening match of the tournament will be played between Army and Diamond Paints/Guard Rice while the main and subsidiary finals will be contested on February 25 (Sunday).
Highlighting the history of the tournament, LPC chief Irfan Ali Hyder said: “The Aibak Cup is dedicated to the memory of Qutubuddin Aibak, who was of Central Asian desent and became the Afghan Emperor Muhammed Ghauri’s most trusted general. In early 1200’s Emperor Ghauri appointed Qutubuddin Aibak as his “Naib us Sultanat’ in India at the grand darbar in Lahore. Upon Ghauri’s death in 1206, the kingdom’s Central Asian territories were captured by the Mongol warlord Genghis Khan, but Aibak retained the lower kingdom and became ruler of the territories which now cover the areas of modern day Afghanistan, Pakistan & Northern India.
“He spent his time between Lahore & Delhi, where he also built the Qutub Minar, now a world heritage site. Sultan Qutubuddin Aibak died in Lahore in 1210 in an accident while playing polo. He was buried in Lahore near the Anarkali bazaar,” he added.
"Thrilling and exciting polo will be witnessed during the week-long event, which has the participation of the country's top-notch polo stars," said LPC chief.