In less than three weeks’ time, the best young polo players in Malaysia 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 4th to 6th 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.
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?
I wondered how sports, and specifically polo could help. Having run some very successful charity tournaments like the Hookahs Polo Tournament series, I know that charity tournaments can work. Having retired from RMPA, the only tournament I am running this year is the 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament. I asked myself, what can the 1st Malaysia Youth Polo Tournament do to help?
I started with 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:
- Raising awareness for the conservation of the Malayan Tiger.
- A portion of every player’s entry fee is donated to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.
- Video talk by a WWF ranger at the technical briefing and shirt launch.
- All team names will be tiger themed.
All teams will have special tiger jerseys designed in different colours.- All merchandise will be tiger themed, with a portion of each sale donated to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.
- All Pony Club shirts will have special tiger jerseys designed in different colours.
- Pony Club members will be asked to raise money by pledges.
- Auction of very special, unique items and experiences. All funds will be donated directly to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.
- Donations to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund. Donations are direct to the WWF’s Tiger Conservation Fund.
Join us in our fight to save the Malayan Tiger!
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