Yak Polo at Broghil Festival in Pakistan

Protected by towering peaks, Broghil Valley is the northernmost valley of Chitral district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

It is also host to one of the world's lesser-known sports, yak polo, played at an altitude of nearly 4, 000 metres (13,000 feet) above sea level, and is a major attraction of the Broghil festival.

It is a special sporting event of the Wakhi community which is played riding on yaks instead of horses in the Himalaya and Hindu Kush mountain ranges of the country. A similar sporting event is also held in Mongolia.

It is a lively event. Local music and Wakhi folk songs fill the air as villagers play local instruments while others dance.

The three-day Broghil festival, which was introduced in 1999, generally comprises sporting events including buzkashi, horse racing, marathons, Wakhi style polo and, yak polo.

The Broghil Valley lacks basic facilities. Many of its people have not travelled outside the region and they are not familiar with modern facilities like electricity, access to health facilities or clean drinking water.

The players say yaks are expensive creatures to buy and they are hoping for financial assistance to keep the sport alive and develop it further.

"I seek the government's help to promote this sport so that people from every nook and corner of the world come here to watch this game," said one player, Mohammad Nazir.

"It is very expensive. One yak costs more than 150,000 rupees (U.S dollar 1470). If the government provides support, if not fully then half of it, this yak polo can survive," said another player, Daulat Baig.

Male yaks ridden in the game are aged between five and seven years. The Pamir breed is the yak species of preference as it is considered very sturdy.

As yaks can't tolerate high temperatures, the ideal time for the sport is morning or the early afternoon. Each polo team has six players who swarm and rush towards the opponent's goal post, some defending and others attacking.

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