KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 — The Malaysian polo team is determined to repeat the victory when they won the gold medal 10 years ago at the Nakhon Ratchasima SEA Games.
Its captain, Shaik Reismann Mohamed Ismail said the team had been training in Pekan, Pahang from more than a month before the Games.
“We have been working on our game play, fitness, and mental health and at this point what we do now is to make sure the horses are ready,” he told Bernama during the teams’ training at the Royal Selangor Polo Club (RSPC).
This will be the third time polo is to be contested at the SEA Games after making its debut in 1983 in Singapore.
Shaik Reismann, who was also the team captain for the 2007 Games, said that the most important aspect now was to make sure the horses were in good condition.
“We have done all we can, we are committed to the Games as we have sacrificed our time by being away from our family as well as working with our coach,” he said.
According to the Polo International Federation (FIP) technical director, John Fischer, the horses would be transported to Putrajaya Equestrian Park, tomorrow.
“The horses will be sent there by Aug 18 and after that, no more horses will come and leave the stable until the match day,” he said.
The opening match of the 29th Kuala Lumpur SEA Games (KL2017) will be on Aug 22 at the Putrajaya Equestrian Park, and will see the Malaysian team, where Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin would be among the team members, facing-off against Brunei’s royalties.
According to the provisional Brunei polo team list released, among the seven players listed are four Brunei royalties - Prince Abdul Mateen Bolkiah, 26; Princess Azemah Ni’matul Bolkiah, 33; Pengiran Muda Bahar Bolkiah, 36; and Pengiran Muda Abdul Qawi, 43. — Bernama
