MNA – President of the Polo Federation Hojatollah Dehkhodaei said Chovgan, a forerunner of Polo, was named in the 12th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage as Iran’s cultural heritage, contrary to the claims of some other countries, like Azerbaijan.







Chovgan is played on horseback and is recognized as a version of the modern Polo game.

On the sidelines of a ceremony to commemorate the universal registration of Chovgan, Dehkhodaei told reporters that UNESCO examined Iran's evidences regarding the possession of Chovgan as its cultural heritage, and finally voted for Iran’s legitimacy, and declared that the sport definitely belongs to Iran.

He also noted that Azerbaijan does not have a claim on Chovgan and has only registered the short-legged Karabakh horse, on which the game was played.