2016 King’s Cup Elephant Polo in Bangkok Raises THB15 Million

The 14th King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament came to a close on Sunday, 13th March, coinciding with Thailand’s National Elephant Day.

A total of 20 unemployed ex-street elephants took part in this year’s tournament, during which time they received full veterinary checks from the Zoological Parks Organisation of Thailand (under the patronage of H.M. the King of Thailand) and the Department of Livestock Development. All the elephants were given essential vitamins, food and care.

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 the Kingdom, raising funds for projects that better the lives of Thailand’s elephant population.

This year the event raised THB 15 million, taking the total raised over the years to THB 47 million (US$1,300,000).

The money raised from the 2016 tournament will be donated to a variety of elephant related projects including funding a new mobile clinic in Mae Teang, Chiang Mai Province which has the largest concentration of trekking camps in Thailand.

Funds will also be donated to the Zoological Parks Organisation of Thailand to support projects to improve the year round lives of the 200 elephants and mahouts in Ban Ta Klang, in Surin Province where the ex-street elephants face ongoing hardship.

Other significant benefits from the money raised by the tournament include:

- The ongoing Thai Elephant Therapy Project which has been underway since 2009 in conjunction with Chiang Mai University’s Department of Occupational Therapy, with future clinics to include children with Down’s syndrome and other conditions.

- A THB 500,000 gantry to help lame elephants stand, donated to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC).

- 4,000 trees planted in Hua Hin for elephant corridors to stop farmer/elephant conflicts.

- Funding a conservation curriculum for schools to teach children the importance of conservation and protection of wild elephants in Thailand.

- Funding Asia’s first workshop to show traditional elephant trainers and camp owners the benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training for captive elephants.

Elephant Polo

Ten teams with players from around the world, including Miss Thailand, three New Zealand All Blacks rugby players and professional polo players created many memorable moments.

The event has something for everyone, kicking off with an opening ceremony overseen by Thailand’s last ‘elephant spirit men’ (Kruba Yai), traditional dancers, plus the daily trunk-to-trunk action on the pitch.

Day two saw the tournament host one thousand children from schools all over Bangkok. Known as Chang Noi Day (Little Elephant Day), the children were invited to get up close with the elephants and learn more about their national animal. A range of educational walks, games and activities all teaching the benefits of elephant conservation and wellbeing were showcased by the organisers.

Saturday was ‘Ladies Day’ where ladies from all walks of life dressed to impress with the best dressed lady winning prizes including a trip to Paris with Air France.

On pitch, an exhibition penalty shoot off between the New Zealand All Blacks rugby players Olo Brown, Robin Brooke and Charles Riechelmann and Thailand’s most famous transgender cabaret show members Miss Tiffany – the All Black’s showing their sporting prowess by winning 2-0.

The highly anticipated final was presided over by the King of Thailand’s Royal representative, H.E. Privy Councilor, Air Chief Marshal Chalit Pukbhasuk.

Reigning champions King Power went head to head with rival team Rueang Chang (Elephant Story) in the finals and managed to retain the coveted King’s Cup trophy by scoring two goals in the dying moments of the match, resulting in a final score of 9-7.

Final Leaderboard for 2016 King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament

1. King Power Duty Free
2. Rueang Chang
3. Audemars Piguet & Citi Team (draw)
5. PriceWaterhouseCoopers New Zealand All Blacks & Johnnie Walker Blue Label (draw)
7. Mekhong
8. Anantara Arabian Knights
9. Casillero Del Diablo
10. Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spa

We have cut the high resolution Pictures of 2016 King's Cup Elephant Polo in Bangkok, Thailand into different pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8, Page 9, Page 10, Page 11, Page 12, Page 13, Page 14, Page 15, Page 16, Page 17 and Page 18. See also: Pictures from 2018 King's Cup Elephant Polo, Thailand's Jumbo Charity Event Benefits Elephants Nationwide, Pictures from 2017 King's Cup Elephant Polo, Pictures from 2016 King's Cup Elephant Polo, Pictures from 2014 King's Cup Elephant Polo, HD Video Interview with John Roberts About 2017 King's Cup Elephant Polo and Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, Pictures of 2017 King's Cup Elephant Polo in Bangkok, Thailand, Avani Riverside Bangkok Hotel - HD Video Interview with GM, Mr. Christian Hoechtl, 2016 King's Cup Elephant Polo in Bangkok Raises THB15 Million and King's Cup Elephant Polo 2017 in Bangkok 9-12 March.

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