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236<br />
bringing polo home<br />
By rocío p. vallejo<br />
an ambitious but somehow romantic concept<br />
that evolved into a great and thrilling event: the<br />
arena polo world Cup at baku azerbaijan, home<br />
to the ancestral game of chovgan, a special training<br />
program practiced more than 2,400 years<br />
ago for cavalry troops that evolved into modernday<br />
polo in the 19th century. the arena polo<br />
world Cup was the first polo tournament played<br />
in the region. “bringing polo home”, a slogan<br />
that clearly evoked what M. ahadpur khangah<br />
had in mind. baku welcomed the “sport of kings”<br />
and honored the origins of this regal sport.<br />
three days of matches and additional activities<br />
allowed the enthusiastic audience of 10.000<br />
spectators to witness an historical moment, reviving<br />
the cultural heritage and opening a wide<br />
open door to a fantastic tournament.<br />
Four international top class teams from argentina,<br />
the Usa, great britain and germany competed<br />
for the trophy and played at the highest<br />
level showing that endurance and fair game<br />
reward every effort. the venue for the matches<br />
was the newly constructed outdoor polo-arena<br />
at the elite equestrian Centre in baku, having<br />
la Martina<br />
oFFiCial sUpplier.<br />
ChoVgan players<br />
at the opening<br />
oF the arena polo<br />
WorlD cup azerBaijan<br />
at BaKu.<br />
237
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