# 2010 King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 7, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580 "2010-03-07T02:30:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/1 "2010-03-07T02:30:10Z")
Info [here](http://anantaraelephantpolo.com/). March 22-29 in the town of Chiang Saen, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, right on the Mekong River, with Laos across the way. (The town is on the river, but the tournament is a bit back from it.) Sponsored, as always, by Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas. If you have never seen this, it’s well worth a day or even two. The local Anantara up there, the Anantara Golden Triangle, is a great place to stay, but there’s more reasonably priced accommodation inside the town itself. (The Anantara is outside of town, but the tournament is played in the town at a local schoolyard.) The [World Elephant Polo Association](http://www.elephantpolo.com/) enforces strict rules governing elephant treatment, and the beasts seem to enjoy themselves while playing. The Anantara has its own elephant camp next to the resort and been instrumental in elephant conservation. Always open to the public free of charge, all proceeds from the tournament via donations, sponsors and a big auction at a formal ball on the final night go toward the cause. I don’t play anymore myself, ever since my shoulder problems, but [here I am in action](http://pidgees.multiply.com/photos/album/2/Elephant_Polo_September_2006#photo=3) in September 2006. I’m the one on the right in the blue shirt. (September is the height of the rainy season, which caused all sorts of problems. They’ve since moved it to this time of year, the height of the dry season.) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/2 "2010-03-14T04:45:06Z")
One day, I hope… ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/3 "2010-03-14T06:20:26Z")
Well worth a trip! ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/4 "2010-03-14T06:39:40Z")
Do the elephants really get into the game and follow the ball? I’ve watched regular polo and seen how some of the horses lock onto the ball and very much get into their jobs, very much throw themselves into the game. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/5 "2010-03-14T15:51:46Z")
They seem to know exactly what’s going on. But there’s a mahout on the elephant along with the player, to help steer the beast. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/6 "2010-03-14T15:59:31Z")
Wouldn’t it be a hoot if one of the elephants decided “The heck with this, these humans can’t get the job done properly” and picked up the ball in its trunk to fling at the goal? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/7 "2010-03-14T16:09:23Z")
During a practice session, one dug my ball out of a hole it had gone in. I believe they used to use larger balls, but the elephants liked to stomp on them to make them pop, like people do with that plastic bubble wrap. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/8 "2010-03-14T16:24:53Z")
Ha! Elephants are a hoot! ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/9 "2010-03-14T16:54:48Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Wouldn’t it be a hoot if one of the elephants decided “The heck with this, these humans can’t get the job done properly” and picked up the ball in its trunk to fling at the goal? Oh, I almost forgot. This sort of did come up in the last tournament I played. In one match – not one I was playing in – the elephant did not fling the ball across the goal with his trunk, but rather accidentally kicked it across as he took a step forward. There was some deliberation about this, but Jim Edwards, the Brit who operated the Tiger Tops Resort in Nepal, where he created elephant polo, was on hand and decided the elephant could indeed score a goal. Jim’s word was always law. Jim died a year or two ago. RIP. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/10 "2010-03-14T16:59:28Z")
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm… Given how smart elephants are, are you sure that one didn’t do it deliberately? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/11 "2010-03-14T17:00:03Z")
He swore he didn’t. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2010, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2010-kings-cup-elephant-polo-tournament/531580/12 "2010-04-01T05:08:39Z")
And after an intense week of competition, Audemars Piguet defeated King Power 10-6 to claim the 2010 championship. Story [here](http://bangkokpost.com/news/sports/35313/audemars-piguet-defeat-king-power-in-showdown).