Polo (Chogan) in ECO Member Countries

This game originated around 600 BCE in Iran and flourished for centuries during the Parthian and Sassanian empires as a courtly and cavalry sport, and it was played during the Achaemenid era as well. Polo spread to India during Darius conquest of the region. It was also part of the culture of games during the Sassanian period. In the past, polo served as a training game for high-ranking military officers. Poets such as Saadi, Hafez, Nasir Khusraw, Rudaki, and Molana Rumi have all referenced polo. Due to its popularity among kings and nobles, it became known as “the game of kings.”

The Mongols, after invading Iran and becoming familiar with Iranian culture and art, also learned to play polo and spread it throughout their vast empire. This period is considered the most significant phase in polo’s expansion beyond Iran. In Iran, polo is not regarded merely as a sport; it is a storytelling tradition tied to ancient rituals and symbolizes Iranian culture and history. For polo to become a more serious and popular sport, further infrastructure, cultural promotion, and systematic planning are necessary.

Polo (Chogan) spread into the territory of present-day Turkey during the Seljuk and later the Ottoman periods. In fact, polo was transferred from Iran to Anatolia. The game reached its peak popularity during the Ottoman era, especially from the 15th to 17th centuries, when it was widely enjoyed by the court and aristocracy. Ottoman sources refer to the game as Çöğen / Çokan. After a long period of decline, Turkey officially revived polo beginning in the 1990s.

Polo is originally an Iranian–Persian sport. However, a sport similar to polo with shared roots existed among the Turkic peoples of Central Asia, including Kazakhstan, or at least it is said that Turkic natives played its “proto-forms.” However, the modern revival of polo in Kazakhstan is very recent and dates back only to 2012.

Like other Turkic peoples of Central Asia, the Kyrgyz have long been connected to equestrian games. Although their main traditional sport is kok-boru (buzkashi), polo also existed to some extent among Turkic tribes and was recognized as part of their equestrian culture. However, polo never gained widespread popularity in Kyrgyzstan as it did in Iran, Azerbaijan, or the Ottoman Empire.

Turkmen people have long been known as skilled horsemen, and the Akhal-Teke horse is a significant part of their identity. Historical sources contain references to equestrian games similar to polo among the Turkmen, but polo did not flourish in Turkmenistan in an organized or widespread way comparable to Iran or the Ottoman Empire.

Polo existed in historical Uzbekistan, but it was practiced less extensively and less formally than in Iran or Azerbaijan. During the Timurid and post-Timurid periods, some references to polo-like equestrian games exist, but polo was not a major popular sport; it was mainly played in courts and among the elite. The actual revival of polo in Uzbekistan began after the country’s independence (1991), especially in the 2000s.

The lands of modern Tajikistan were part of Transoxiana and Greater Khorasan, regions where polo was practiced from antiquity through the Middle Ages and during the Samanid, Ghaznavid, and Timurid eras. Polo was played in courts and among nobles. As in other Central Asian countries, polo existed historically in Tajikistan but was not a widespread popular sport; it was mostly confined to elites. After independence, the organized revival of polo began, and in the 2010s it grew further through cultural and sports initiatives.

Polo spread across South Asia, including areas of present-day Pakistan, with the arrival of Islamic Turkic and Mongol rulers after the conquest of the Indian subcontinent. According to many sources, polo originated in Iran and later entered the Indian subcontinent with Muslim rulers. In northern Pakistan, particularly in regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral, polo has been played locally for centuries. Thus, polo in Pakistan is both a traditional and modern sport—long practiced in the north and later expanded formally nationwide after independence.

Polo has a very ancient and continuous presence in Afghanistan, unlike in some countries where the sport grew only in modern times. Polo was widespread throughout Greater Khorasan (Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and parts of Central Asia). Historical sources show that the game was very popular in Herat, Balkh, and Ghazni. During the Kushan era, polo flourished as a favored entertainment of rulers and nobles. Under Mahmud of Ghazni, polo reached great prominence, and many historical texts document polo games in Ghazni. During the Timurid period, Herat became one of the major cultural and athletic centers, and polo was highly favored by the court.

Polo was widespread in the medieval territories of modern Azerbaijan. Archaeological evidence and literary references, such as those found in the works of Nizami Ganjavi and in Turkic epics, demonstrate the game’s antiquity and popularity. During the Safavid era and afterward, especially in regions known for strong horse-breeding traditions such as Karabakh, polo held significant importance as a local equestrian sport. However, during the Soviet period the game declined greatly and was nearly forgotten. From the late 20th to early 21st century, efforts began to revive the sport, including national competitions and the modernization of its rules. In December 2013, “Chovqan, a traditional Karabakh horse game” was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. Today, Azerbaijan promotes polo as part of its national cultural and sports heritage, with UNESCO supporting preservation efforts.