Although the primary focus of the four-day extravaganza is elephant polo, there is fun for the whole family with live music, kiddies’ games and elephant talent shows on the entertainment schedule. Anantara Resorts is the main sponsor of the event and its website has programme details.
The elephant polo tournament was first staged in Hua Hin in 2001 and has increased in popularity with each passing year. The event became so big and attracted such a lot of visitors that the organisers decided to relocate from its traditional venue this year.
VR Sports Club, just outside central Bangkok, is the home of horseback polo in Thailand and also the new venue for the pachyderm competition. Funds raised from each of the annual events have been used to improve the lives of Thailand’s elephant population.
The organisers say the tournaments have so far raised more than US$750,000 which has been used in all manner of elephant related projects. Last year’s income was used to set up an elephant hospital in Krabi and construct a gantry to lift injured elephants at the Lampang Elephant Conservation Centre and Hospital.
Annual Thai elephant polo tourney starts
News in Asia
Yesterday saw the start of the popular annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo tourney in the Thai capital city of Bangkok. A total of 50 female pachyderms are competing in the knockout competition and the final is due to take place on Sunday 31 August.