In less than two weeks’ time, twenty of the best young polo players in South East Asia will meet to play an historic tournament, the 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament.   While Malaysia is famously unbeaten South East Asian champions in polo, we have never had a polo tournament that showcases only youth players aged 21 and under.  Till now – The Kuala Lumpur Academy of Polo is organizing the 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament on 4^th to 6^th March 2022, played on the city polo fields at The Selangor Polo Club.

YAM Tengku Baderul Zaman Ibni Almarhum Sultan Mahmud, President of The Selangor Polo Club, has kindly accepted the position of Patron of the 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament, and donated the challenge trophy that they will play for.

His Royal Highness said, “The Selangor Polo Club has been at the forefront of polo in Malaysia for the last two decades.  The Youth Polo is a very valuable addition to our roster of polo tournaments.  It is a development tournament and youth are our future in this sport.  We are delighted to support this tournament.”

Malaysia has a wealth of young talent. At KL Academy of Polo, we have players starting as young as 8 years old. This tournament gives young players a chance to experience playing polo in a safe but competitive environment. It’s a start to their polo journey through life.

Kabir Kannan is a a 3rd-year medical student, aspiring to become a surgeon.  Kabir  started in the riding school two years ago, and from there switched to Polo. The 1st Malaysia Youth Tournament is his introduction to competitive polo.  Kabir said, “Initially, the fear of falling from the horse played a big role in preventing me from cantering and going after the ball during Friday Instructional Chukkas, but I eventually conquered that fear and realised that all these were just part of the game. That’s what makes polo fun for me, it taught me to muster up the courage to chase the opponent while they sprint with the horse, without the fear of clashing into them or falling. These teachings can also be applied in real life.”

Kabir’s sister, Ananya Kannan, is one of three girls playing in the tournament.   She said, “I was fortunate that I could join KL Academy of Polo in 2020 to start my riding journey. Mostly every Friday I would accompany my dad to watch the Friday Instructional Chukkas, and I was always amazed by it. A year later, I had the opportunity to start my polo lessons under Mr Peter. The MYPT would be the first major tournament I would be playing, and I’m truly grateful that I could be part of it.”

Amirul Aimann is from Ipoh, Perak.  Aimann recently started training with KL Academy of Polo, coming on weekends to train with us.  Aimann now stables two horses at the Selangor Polo Club.  Aiman said, ‘I am in LOVE with polo, the adrenaline rush when I chase and fight for the ball, the satisfaction when I score a goal and also the frustration when I miss a goal. I love every part of it. Well, it looks like I have a lot of rivals this year. Gotta train more!!’

Five apprentices from Royal Pahang are entered for this tournament.  They are Tengku Putra Arjuna, Nik Amar Amsyar, Mohd Alif Ashraf, Wan Mohammad Mukhriz and Muhammad Faiz Rizqy, who is the son of Royal Pahang stalwart, Amran Selamat.

While Julian Lancia is a Canadian, and Nala Bosveld is Dutch, they are no strangers to us as they are based at KL Academy of Polo.  We have a more international flavour from Marie Christine Fuchs, a German who is based in Singapore, and Abdullah Amirul Azli, Abdullah Afiq Farid, and Muhammad Basyiir Hardy Sufardi from Royal Brunei.  Marie said she is ‘really looking forward to meeting everyone, since it’s my first time in Kuala Lumpur.’

Marie will get to meet many other young polo players from Malaysia, including the famous Moiz Boyz, Armand, Sulieman and Imran.   Imran is perhaps the brightest young talent in Malaysia.  He says, ‘From a young age, polo was a huge part of my life. First watching my parents and brothers playing and then starting to play myself. However it was only when I turned 13 years old that I started to gain an understanding of what it would take to truly appreciate and excel at the sport. With the opportunities afforded to me to ride and play regularly, and being coached by our La Familia team professionals, I was able to participate in numerous low goal, some medium goal and a few high-goal tournaments.’

Imran has already worn the tiger stripes as a national athlete as a member of the 2019 Malaysian contingent that went on to win Gold and Silver medals in the 2019 SEA Games.

The 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament is also a charity polo tournament in that it aims to raise money and awareness for the Tiger Conservation Fund of the WWF.

The Malayan Tiger is a symbol of Malaysian sport.  Our athlete’s jerseys, tracksuits and equipment are adorned with tiger stripes.  But tigers are an endangered animal, with their numbers in the wild falling drastically over the last decades.

In the WWF Malaysia Opinion Editorial: 12 ways tigers made a comeback in 12 years, they say, “Tiger conservation in Malaysia might seem like an uphill battle with our wild tiger numbers down to fewer than 150. But it is not a battle which Malaysia fights alone. Efforts by all tiger range countries prove that tiger numbers can recover, slowly but surely. If everyone – from the highest office to enforcement agencies, corporates and NGOs to ordinary Malaysians – protects our tigers from all threats, we can turn the tide of extinction. After all, doubling wild tiger numbers does not happen overnight. When the next Year of the Tiger comes around in 2034, let the world hear our victory roar.”

Our polo players proudly wore the tiger stripes for the SEA Games of 2007, 2017 and 2019.  But what connection do we, as a sport, have with the Malayan Tiger?  Is it headed to extinction?

At KL Academy of Polo, we wondered how sports, and specifically polo could help.  We did a little research on Tiger charities.  Then had a series of meetings with the WWF.  The 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament has chosen the WWF Tiger Conservation Fund as our chosen charity.

These are ten tiger things the 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament is doing:

1. Raising awareness for the conservation of the Malayan Tiger.
2. A portion of every player’s entry fee is donated to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.
3. Video talk by a WWF ranger at the technical briefing and shirt launch.
4. All team names will be tiger themed.
5. All teams will have special tiger jerseys designed in different colours.
6. All merchandise will be tiger themed, with a portion of each sale donated to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.
7. All Pony Club shirts will have special tiger jerseys designed in different colours.
8. Pony Club members will be asked to raise money by pledges.
9. Auction of very special, unique items and experiences.  All funds will be donated directly to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.
10. Donations to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.  Donations are direct to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.

Please join us in our fight to save the Malayan Tiger!