International Shovkan Federation opens its assembly at Port Ghalib, Marsa Alam
Reports describe it as the sport's first gathering of this kind in the Middle East and Africa, with representatives of about 40 countries at the Port Ghalib meeting.
6 November 2026
The fourth general assembly of the International Shovkan Federation has opened at Port Ghalib in Marsa Alam, with representatives of about 40 Arab and foreign countries. Delegations include Germany, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Azerbaijan and Turkey. Reports describe it as the first gathering of its kind for the sport in the Middle East and Africa.
Federation president Behrooz Nabiyev set out a plan to widen the sport's reach by founding national federations, clubs and domestic leagues, building up training and refereeing, and standardising competition rules. He said a world club championship bringing together the best teams from national leagues was being studied.
The assembly took up applications to join the federation from Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, a proposal to create a Gulf region, and the election of regional group heads for Europe, Asia and the Gulf. Delegates also discussed the countries in line to stage the 2027 continental championships: the United Kingdom for Europe, Kyrgyzstan for Asia, Chile for South America and Morocco for Africa.
Shovkan is a team sport played on horseback with long historical roots. Two teams of three to five riders each use a wooden stick to control the ball and score.