The 15th elephant tournament is being staged at the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort and will finish on Sunday 12 March. Elephants and their mahouts will battle each day for a place in the finals on Sunday. There are also entertainment and musical performances on the timetable for each day of the tournament.
Sunday is Grand Final day and the final matches are scheduled to take place from 09:00 onwards. The culmination of the event is the trophy awards ceremony at 16:00 followed by a fruit feast for the competing elephants.
A total of 30 elephants are taking part in the competition’s preliminary rounds. The King's Cup Tournament was originally launched to raise funds for the conservation of Thailand’s elephant population. To date, the sum stands at almost THB50 million.
12GO ASIA says there are still tickets available for this year’s tournament. They can be purchased each day of play at the Anantara Riverside Resort and cost THB200. The resort is a short bus or taxi ride from Saphan Taksin BTS Skytrain Station.
Annual Thailand elephant polo tourney tees off at Bangkok Anantara Resort
News in Asia
Competing elephants and their mahouts kicked off the 2017 edition of the King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament yesterday. Following an official blessing ceremony by Buddhist monks, the initial heats saw 2016 champions King Power successfully thwart a challenge by upstarts Benihana.