LAHORE: The Lahore Smart City Polo in Pink Cup 2026 got under way at the Lahore Polo Club with a record participation of 14 teams, as the tournament combined competitive polo with a campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer.
The week-long event, featuring international women players alongside Pakistani participants, will conclude with the final on Sunday.
Speaking at a press conference to announce the tournament, Lahore Polo Club President Agha Najeeb Raza said the 2026 edition was the biggest in the history of the event. He said 14 female polo players were taking part, including eight from abroad and six from Pakistan.
Women players from England, the Netherlands and Iran are competing in the tournament, underlining the growing international profile of the Polo in Pink initiative.
Agha Najeeb Raza said the Lahore Polo Club had been holding the breast cancer awareness event since 2014. He added that Lahore Smart City and Pink Ribbon had been supporting the cause for the last eight years, helping the campaign expand its reach and message.
He thanked the sponsors for their continued backing and said their support had played an important role in strengthening awareness about breast cancer through sport.
Lahore Smart City CEO Imran Zahid reiterated the organisation’s commitment to the initiative, saying its continued support was aimed at spreading awareness among women in Pakistan. COO Zeeshan Qureshi said sport had an important role in building a healthy society and promoting meaningful social causes.
Pink Ribbon Pakistan’s Dr Umar Aftab, who has been associated with breast cancer awareness work for around 20 years, welcomed the holding of the tournament. He stressed the need for sustained public education and awareness campaigns.
The event, combining international competition with social awareness, continues to use the popularity of polo to encourage breast cancer awareness while also supporting women’s participation in sport.
Participating players also appreciated the opportunity to be part of the cause. Iranian players Sarah and Saba Yaghoobi expressed enthusiasm over playing in Lahore, while international participants praised both the venue and the objective behind the tournament.
Pakistani players said the competition provided them a valuable chance to improve their skills by playing alongside international polo players, besides contributing to an important awareness campaign.
The teams have been placed in two pools. Pool A consists of Newage Cables/Master Paints, Diamond Paints, AOS, Polo U Khano, Leather Galleria, DIN/FG and SQ Seagold/Master Paints.
Pool B includes FG/DIN, Platinum Homes, Guard Group, Dagia Polo/Chakor Ventures, Jinnah Polo Team, Robson International and Sheikho/Barry’s/Diamond Paints.
Lahore Polo Club executive committee members Ahmed Nawaz Tiwana, Taimoor Ali Malik, Dr Kamran Zaidi and Faisal Khan, along with club secretary Major Amjad Ghafoor (retd), were also present at the launch.
Meanwhile, the opening matches produced exciting polo as the participating teams displayed fine skills and attacking play in front of spectators.
FG/DIN Polo made a strong start in the American system, winning both of their two-chukker matches. They first defeated Leather Galleria 5-2 and then edged SQ Seagold/Master Paints 5-4 in a closely fought contest to complete a successful outing.
In the second match of the day, also played under the American system, Robson International turned in an impressive performance. The side defeated both Jinnah Polo Team and Sheikhoo/Barry’s/Diamond Paints to book their place in the next round.
