Azernews.Az

Laman Ismayilova

Read more

Azerbaijan's national chovqan team has been crowned the champion, Azernews reports.

In the final, the national team faced off against the team from Uzbekistan.

Before the start of the match, the national anthems of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan were played.

In an exciting game, our national team secured a 3–0 victory. With this result, our team became the champion of the third CIS Games.

Within the framework of the third CIS Games, the chovqan tournament was held from September 28 to October 7, with the participation of teams from six countries, including Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkiye, and Kuwait.

The Azerbaijani team took first place in the chovqan tournament, the Uzbek team came in second, and the Kyrgyz team placed third.

Chovqan is a traditional equestrian sport played between two teams riding Garabagh horses, a breed native to Azerbaijan. Considered the ancestor of modern polo, chovqan was historically played during festive celebrations and holidays.

Each team consists of five riders—two defenders (fullbacks) and three attackers (forwards).

The match begins at the center of the field, where players use wooden mallets to strike a small ball made of leather or wood, aiming to score goals against the opposing team. A standard game lasts for 30 minutes.

In recognition of its cultural significance, UNESCO inscribed chovqan on the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2013.