The Shandur Polo Festival officially commenced with the support of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Authority, Pakistan Army, and Chitral Scouts. The opening ceremony was graced by Special Advisor on Information Barrister Saif and Minister for Sports Fakhar Jahan.

Barrister Saif stated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a peaceful province rich in tourism potential. He emphasized that the province is organizing an international-standard festival and the government is taking exceptional steps to promote tourism.

The festival is being supported by the district administration of Upper and Lower Chitral along with the police. On the opening day, a match was played between the teams of Laspur (Chitral) and Ghizer (Gilgit-Baltistan), with Laspur winning 6–3.

Secretary Tourism Bakhtiar Khan, Commissioner Malakand Abid Wazir, and DG Tourism Authority Habibullah Arif also attended the event.