Polo

Polo

Two players disputing the ball in a polo match.
Highest governing body	Federation of International Polo
Nicknames	The Sport of Kings
First played	Achaemenid Empire (Persia), 6th century BC
Registered players	all over
Clubs	90
Characteristics
Contact	Yes
Team members	4 per side
Mixed gender	Yes
Type	Equestrian, ball game, team sport, outdoor
Equipment	Ball, stick, horse
Venue	Polo field (grass)
Presence
Country or region	Persia (Iran)
Olympic	No (since 1936)

Polo (Azerbaijanic Turk: çövkən chovghân, Persian: چوگان chogān) is a team sport played on horseback. The objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a long-handled mallet. The traditional sport of polo is played on a grass field up to 300 by 160 yards (270 by 150 m). Each polo team consists of four riders and their mounts. Field polo is played with a solid plastic ball which has replaced the wooden version of the ball in much of the sport. In arena polo, only three players are required per team and the game usually involves more maneuvering and shorter plays at lower speeds due to space limitations of arenas. Arena polo is played with a small air-filled ball, similar to a small football. The modern game lasts roughly two hours and is divided into periods called chukkas (occasionally rendered as "chukkers"). Polo is played professionally in 16 countries. It was formerly an Olympic sport.

Polo originates from ancient Persia. Its invention is dated variously from the 6th century BC to the 1st century AD. Persian Emperor Shapur II learnt to play polo when he was seven years old in 316 AD. The game was learnt by the neighbouring Byzantine Empire at an early date. A tzykanisterion (stadium for playing tzykanion, the Byzantine name for polo) was built by emperor Theodosius II (r. 408–450) inside the Great Palace of Constantinople. Emperor Basil I (r. 867–886) excelled at it; Emperor Alexander (r. 912–913) died from exhaustion while playing and John I of Trebizond (r. 1235–1238) died from a fatal injury during a game.Naqsh-i Jahan Square in Isfahan is a polo field which was built by king Abbas I in the 17th century.