Four members of Brunei’s royal family and other players of prominent clans from Malaysia and Thailand have confirmed their participation in the polo event of the 2019 Manila Southeast Asian Games.
Princess Azemah Ni’matul Bolkiah and Princes Abdul Mateen and Abdul Qawi Bolkiah, children of Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, will banner the Brunei team, which bagged bronze in the Kuala Lumpur Games two years ago.
They will be joined by their cousin Prince Muda Bahar Bolkiah, son of the Sultan’s brother Prince Jefri.
Malaysia’s title-retention bid will be led by Abdul Rashid Hasnan, Amran Selamat, Khairy Jamaluddin and Mohd Zulhelmi Nadzar while silver medalist Malaysia will lean on players from the wealthy Srivaddhanaprabha clan.
Brunei’s participation was relayed to United Polo Players Association (UPPA) chair emeritus and 1-Pacman Party-List Rep. Mikee Romero last week during the 72nd birthday of Sultan Bolkiah, an event that included a polo tournament.
UPPA is headed by Coco Garcia with Hollywood film producer Jun Juban as chair.
“We are readying all safety measures not only for the athletes and officials but also for our guests,” said Romero.