History
"Çevgân/Çöven/Çöğen/Çevgen/Çevken," known as "polo" in the Western world, is one of the historical equestrian sports played in teams. A çevgan player is called a çevganbaz; those who hit the ball with a stick are called çevganzen; and those who serve the playing team are called çevgandar. There are claims that it is of Iranian or Turkish origin. The first international çevgan competition was played between Turks and Persians in 600 BC. The earliest version of the game spread from Central Asia to China, Japan, Tibet, India, Byzantium, and Egypt. The British, who witnessed the çevgan game played in India in the mid-19th century, modernized this sport, leading to the formation of today's polo.
Today, this sport is performed in Azerbaijan in the traditional Turkish sports format as part of national equestrian sports games organized by the National Training Types Association. It has been declared a national sport by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan since the 2000s.
Rules
Cevgan is a team sport played by two teams of 4 or 6 players. The game requires a stick called a çevgan, which resembles the letter "T" and varies in length between 120-150 cm depending on the player's preference, and a ball called "guy/giy." This ball is made of willow or maple knots with a diameter of 10-15 cm or small pebbles wrapped in rice straw and covered with leather. The game is played on a rectangular field measuring either 75x150 m or 100x200 m on soft soil or grass.
One of the most important rules is to avoid hitting, striking, or blocking the opponent's horse. The horses' tails are braided to prevent injuries to both the horses and riders during the game. Çevgan is a sport focused on scoring goals by hitting the ball called gui/guy into the opponent's goal. Teams consist of 5 or 6 players on the field, with 1 reserve male player. In a team of 5 players, there are 2 defenders and 3 attackers. In a team of 6 players, there are 2 defenders, 1 defensive midfielder, and 3 attackers. There is no goalkeeper in this game. Players cannot hit the ball for attacking purposes with any method other than the stick, although they can defend using other methods except blocking the ball with an open hand. For professionals, the playing time is 15x2=30 minutes, and for amateurs, it is 10x2=20 minutes, with a 10-minute halftime break.
