King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament 2016
The 15th edition of the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, organised by Anantara Hotels and Resorts, will take place on March 9-12 this year by Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River.
The 2017 event boasts 10 teams encompassing over 40 players, including Thai celebrities, supermodels, professional horse polo players and New Zealand All-Blacks rugby players. It also includes an impressive Opening Parade, Children’s Educational Day and Ladies Day known as The Bangkok Ascot.
The tournament has become one of the biggest charitable events in South-east Asia with over US$1.3 million raised and donated to such programmes as the Thai Elephant Assisted Autistic Therapy Project, which better the lives of Thailand’s wild and domesticated elephant population.
The four-day event will also benefit 30 unemployed former street elephants, giving them full veterinary checks and care, much needed food and drink and essential vitamin supplements.
Anantara has in place strict rules for the tournament to protects the well-being of all participating elephants and has imposed a “no micro-chip, no game” rule to ensure that the elephants have been domestically bred and not captured from the wild or smuggled.
