2013 King's Cup Elephant Polo Official Programme
28th August - 1st September 2013
Wednesday, August 28th
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm Training sessions
4:00 pm Grand opening parade
7:00 pm Tournament draw & cocktail party**
Thursday, August 29th
8:00 am to 9:00 am Pitch and elephant blessing ceremony
9:00 am to 4:00 pm Tournament matches and exhibition games all day
11:00 am Fruit buffet for the elephants
7:00 pm Dinner buffet at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa
Till Late Players lounge with live music at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa
Friday, August 30th
8:00 am to 4:00 pm Tournament matches and exhibition games all day
7:00 pm Dinner buffet at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa
Till Late Players lounge with live music at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa
Saturday, August 31st
8:00 am to 4:00 pm Tournament matches and exhibition games all day
2:00 pm High goal Jim Edwards memorial game
7:00 pm GRAND AUCTION GALA DINNER*
Sunday, September 1st
8:00 am to 12:00 pm Final matches
1:00 pm National Anthem
King’s Cup Elephant Polo Grand Final 2013
2:30 pm Trophy giving ceremony by the Royal representative
Fruit buffet for the elephants
End of tournament celebrations on the field
Till Late Players lounge with live music at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa
Pitch side eateries will be serving favorite culinary delights all day.
*By invitation only
**To avoid disappointment advance booking is recommended
For Further information & bookings please call 66 (0) 32 520 250
or send us an email at vipawan_ph@minornet.com
Hua Hin King's Cup Elephant Polo; Aug 28 - Sep 1, 2013
Hua Hin King's Cup Elephant Polo; Aug 28 - Sep 1, 2013
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Hua Hin King's Cup Elephant Polo; Aug 28 - Sep 1, 2013
Annual Jumbo Event Aims to Raise Millions For Thailand's Elephants
The highly popular King’s Cup Elephant Polo tournament is celebrating its twelfth anniversary in the royal seaside town of Hua Hin from August 28th – September 1st 2013 and promises to have a tonne of ele-fun activities both on and off the field.
The four day festival has something for everyone including a spectacular opening parade, celebrity matches, Chang Noi Day (Children’s Day) with a baby elephant camp and fun fair, and this year for the first time, Ladies Day with prizes for the best dressed. A Moulin Rouge themed Auction Gala Dinner tops off fundraising efforts with all the proceeds donated to various projects for the betterment of Thailand’s elephants.
With free admission for everyone, spectators will also be able to rub shoulders with European and Asian royalty, international sporting stars and local celebrities. This year will see Thailand’s defending champions King Power team go head to head with the New Zealand Rugby All Black’s Robin Brooke, Olo Brown and Charles Riechelmann, European royals Prince Carl-Eugen Oettingen-Wallerstein and his wife Princess Anna and daughter Princess Joanna. Miss Tiffany Thailand will also be adding a hint of fun and a lot of colour to the event with a full team of transgender beauty queens playing to win as well performing at the Gala Dinner.
The tournament was introduced to Thailand in 2001 by Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas and has grown to become one of the biggest charitable events in Thailand. To date the event has raised almost US$600,000 for projects that better the lives of Thailand’s elephant population, including housing for the mahouts and families, shelters for the elephants and a mobile blood centrifuge and elephant ambulance for the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC).
In addition to the 30 rescued street elephants who now enjoy a comfortable lifestyle at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, the annual event allows a further 50 young elephants to be taken off the streets for the two week period during the tournament, providing them with a native forest environment, the best food possible, as well as the only proper veterinary check and vitamins they receive all year.
Street life can be tough for an elephant, walking through crowded tourist areas and busy roads for ten hours a night, forced to rest during the day on small green spaces within the cities, often without shade and water. The King’s Cup schedule is deliberately designed to give these elephants rest and relaxation on a scale they are never afforded in their ‘normal’ lives.
Since 2009 donations have also gone to funding the world’s first ever elephant therapy programme to research the rehabilitation benefits for autistic children. The Thai Elephant Therapy Project (TETP) was created in conjunction with Chiang Mai University and the TECC, initially allowing a further five elephants to be rescued off the streets of Bangkok, rented and trained as assistant therapists for autistic children. The programme now runs free therapy sessions for Thai children every year.
Other significant benefits from money raised has gone to building the first elephant hospital in Krabi in the southern part of Thailand; research and tree planting to build elephant corridors in Kui Buri so there are no elephant/farmer conflicts; funding the first educational computer application for children to teach them the importance of conservation and protection of wild elephants in Thailand and funding Asia’s first workshop to show traditional elephant trainers and camp owners the benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training for domesticated elephants.
The 12th King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament will be held at Hua Hin's Suriyothai Army Base approximately 20 minutes from Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa. Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa is a distinctive Thai village-style resort located on the sunrise coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Hidden amidst 14 acres of luxuriantly landscaped mature gardens and lagoon pools, the picturesque resort enjoys a beachfront location at the quiet end of Thailand’s historic royal seaside town.
Source: ETB
The highly popular King’s Cup Elephant Polo tournament is celebrating its twelfth anniversary in the royal seaside town of Hua Hin from August 28th – September 1st 2013 and promises to have a tonne of ele-fun activities both on and off the field.
The four day festival has something for everyone including a spectacular opening parade, celebrity matches, Chang Noi Day (Children’s Day) with a baby elephant camp and fun fair, and this year for the first time, Ladies Day with prizes for the best dressed. A Moulin Rouge themed Auction Gala Dinner tops off fundraising efforts with all the proceeds donated to various projects for the betterment of Thailand’s elephants.
With free admission for everyone, spectators will also be able to rub shoulders with European and Asian royalty, international sporting stars and local celebrities. This year will see Thailand’s defending champions King Power team go head to head with the New Zealand Rugby All Black’s Robin Brooke, Olo Brown and Charles Riechelmann, European royals Prince Carl-Eugen Oettingen-Wallerstein and his wife Princess Anna and daughter Princess Joanna. Miss Tiffany Thailand will also be adding a hint of fun and a lot of colour to the event with a full team of transgender beauty queens playing to win as well performing at the Gala Dinner.
The tournament was introduced to Thailand in 2001 by Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas and has grown to become one of the biggest charitable events in Thailand. To date the event has raised almost US$600,000 for projects that better the lives of Thailand’s elephant population, including housing for the mahouts and families, shelters for the elephants and a mobile blood centrifuge and elephant ambulance for the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC).
In addition to the 30 rescued street elephants who now enjoy a comfortable lifestyle at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, the annual event allows a further 50 young elephants to be taken off the streets for the two week period during the tournament, providing them with a native forest environment, the best food possible, as well as the only proper veterinary check and vitamins they receive all year.
Street life can be tough for an elephant, walking through crowded tourist areas and busy roads for ten hours a night, forced to rest during the day on small green spaces within the cities, often without shade and water. The King’s Cup schedule is deliberately designed to give these elephants rest and relaxation on a scale they are never afforded in their ‘normal’ lives.
Since 2009 donations have also gone to funding the world’s first ever elephant therapy programme to research the rehabilitation benefits for autistic children. The Thai Elephant Therapy Project (TETP) was created in conjunction with Chiang Mai University and the TECC, initially allowing a further five elephants to be rescued off the streets of Bangkok, rented and trained as assistant therapists for autistic children. The programme now runs free therapy sessions for Thai children every year.
Other significant benefits from money raised has gone to building the first elephant hospital in Krabi in the southern part of Thailand; research and tree planting to build elephant corridors in Kui Buri so there are no elephant/farmer conflicts; funding the first educational computer application for children to teach them the importance of conservation and protection of wild elephants in Thailand and funding Asia’s first workshop to show traditional elephant trainers and camp owners the benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training for domesticated elephants.
The 12th King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament will be held at Hua Hin's Suriyothai Army Base approximately 20 minutes from Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa. Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa is a distinctive Thai village-style resort located on the sunrise coast of the Gulf of Thailand. Hidden amidst 14 acres of luxuriantly landscaped mature gardens and lagoon pools, the picturesque resort enjoys a beachfront location at the quiet end of Thailand’s historic royal seaside town.
Source: ETB
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Hua Hin King's Cup Elephant Polo; Aug 28 - Sep 1, 2013
Bump. Its has started, please post pics if you have them.
Miss Tiffany's team win hearts in Hua Hin
Day three of the 12th King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament saw Mercedes Benz steal the limelight in a fiercely fought match from talented transgender team, Miss Tiffany's.
Mercedes were stunned in the first few minutes by the exceptional defence of the Miss Tiffany's team - Nethnapada Karayanon (Nek) Kevin Balot and Chanachida Rungpetcharat (Blossom).
More: The Nation
Miss Tiffany's team win hearts in Hua Hin
Day three of the 12th King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament saw Mercedes Benz steal the limelight in a fiercely fought match from talented transgender team, Miss Tiffany's.
Mercedes were stunned in the first few minutes by the exceptional defence of the Miss Tiffany's team - Nethnapada Karayanon (Nek) Kevin Balot and Chanachida Rungpetcharat (Blossom).
More: The Nation
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Hua Hin King's Cup Elephant Polo; Aug 28 - Sep 1, 2013
Bangkok Bank win decider
After five days of festivities and elephant polo, the final day offered plenty of memorable moments and new King's Cup champions.
After the shock loss of last year's winners King Power earlier in the week, the final match placed two stellar teams, first-timers Bangkok Bank (BBL) and Mercedes.
Full Story: Bangkok Post
Seems to have been no interest in this event whatsoever, did anyone actually go?
After five days of festivities and elephant polo, the final day offered plenty of memorable moments and new King's Cup champions.
After the shock loss of last year's winners King Power earlier in the week, the final match placed two stellar teams, first-timers Bangkok Bank (BBL) and Mercedes.
Full Story: Bangkok Post
Seems to have been no interest in this event whatsoever, did anyone actually go?
Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? - Hunter S Thompson
Re: Hua Hin King's Cup Elephant Polo; Aug 28 - Sep 1, 2013
I meant to go but I guess I need to set an alarm reminder on my phone. It was not well publicized (as usual with events here). I saw your original post and intended to go but that post was three months before the event and I forgot.Seems to have been no interest in this event whatsoever, did anyone actually go?
I read your bump on Saturday when there was only one day left and I couldn't make it yesterday. Thanks for trying though. 
I went to it in other years when the All Blacks were here and it was funny to watch some premier athletes try to play this wacky sport. I really wanted to go this year and see the Tiffany team, but when I read your bump on Saturday they were already eliminated!
As soon as I hear about it next year I'll set a reminder on my phone and computer!
My brain is like an Internet browser; 12 tabs are open and 5 of them are not responding, there's a GIF playing in an endless loop,... and where is that annoying music coming from?
Re: Hua Hin King's Cup Elephant Polo; Aug 28 - Sep 1, 2013
I was there on Friday and it was quite a big event with many large sponsors tents and areas with plenty of drinks and food to be had.Seems to have been no interest in this event whatsoever, did anyone actually go?
The actual elephant polo is more of a spectacle than a sport as the beasts are not exactly fleet of foot but it was made entertaining by some rather eccentric commentary over the speakers and there were a few professional horse polo players that actually made some decent shots which seemed impossible to me with the length of the stick.
At times there were two games going on at the same time and just seeing the twelve elephants charge about was worth the experience so I'll definitely go again if I'm around when it's on next year.