The ancestor of polo, this traditional game of horsemen is played with a dead goat rather than a ball.

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At practice, if the kids seem spent, he'll end the workout midway through and start a game of water polo.

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Then the big boys with global licences arrive: Lego to make construction kits (build your own Hogwarts castle), Mattel to make Harry Potter toys, and Electronic Arts computer games including, finally, a chance to play the obscure game of Quidditch (a bit like an aerial version of polo, but with the contestants flying on broomsticks).

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The game was birthed in the country in 1930 with the formation of the Lagos Polo Club, which, set on an old British Army Parade ground, served as an entertainment hotspot for colonial officials who had previously played the sport in England.

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"It's about the passion and love for the game which is instilled at a young age, not how someone is perceived to others if they play polo, " Pieres said.

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