Press
Release
Anantara’s King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament
Packs its Trunk and Moves to Bangkok
Mark it in your diaries, Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas is announcing the 2014 dates for the
highly popular King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament. This year’s event will move from its original
home of Hua Hin to the Thai capital of Bangkok from August 28th – 31st and promises to have more
nail-biting action both on and off the field.
The annual tournament, now in its thirteenth year, has become one of the biggest charitable events
in SE Asia. Last year’s event which had 16 teams encompassing over 50 players, including Thai
supermodels, professional horse polo players, the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team and
Thailand’s famous transgender cabaret team Miss Tiffany’s was a far cry from the small two teamed
event back when it started in 2001. Over $US750,000 has been raised and donated to projects that
better the lives of Thailand’s wild and domesticated elephant population.
Fundraising from last year’s event has been donated to a number of projects in Thailand including
supporting research and clinics using elephants in therapy sessions for children living with autism;
building the first elephant hospital in Krabi in the southern part of Thailand and donating a gantry
to help lame elephants stand to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC).
Other projects include planting 4,000 trees to create elephant corridors in Kui Buri to help avoid
elephant/farmer conflicts; funding the roll out of children’s educational programs with the Thai
Ministry to teach them the importance of conservation and protection of wild elephants in
Thailand, and funding workshops showing traditional elephant trainers and camp owners the
benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training for domesticated elephants.
A total of 50 street elephants will take part in this year’s tournament, during which they are well
fed, provided with a native forest environment, and receive essential vitamin supplements, full
veterinary checks and care for the duration of the event. Street life and ‘unemployment’ 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.
Due to the popularity of the tournament the event will move from the Royal seaside town of Hua
Hin to the Siam Polo Park at VR Sports Club in Bangkok. The four day festival will have something
for everyone including an impressive opening parade, Children’s Day, Ladies Day and wide a range
of fun elephant related activities for the whole family.
For more information on the 13th Annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, please visit
www.anantaraelephantpolo.com
Editor’s Note:
For hundreds of years throughout Thailand, people would leave a jar of water outside their house to provide refreshment
and extend a welcome to the passing traveller. Anantara is taken from an ancient Sanskrit word that means 'without
end', symbolising this sharing of water and the heartfelt hospitality that lies at the core of every Anantara experience.
From lush jungles to pristine beaches and legendary deserts to cosmopolitan cities, Anantara currently boasts more than
25 stunning properties located in Thailand, the Maldives, Bali, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Mozambique and the United
Arab Emirates; with future properties to open in Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Laos, Qatar and Oman.
For more information on Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, please visit www.anantara.com.
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About Global Hotel Alliance
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world´s largest alliance of independent hotel brands. GHA currently includes brands
such as Anantara, Art Series, Doyle Collection, First, Kempinski, Individual Collection, Leela, Lungarno Collection,
Marco Polo, Mokara, Omni, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL, QT, Rixos, Rydges, Shaza, Tangram and Tivoli encompassing over
345 upscale and luxury hotels with over 85,000 rooms in 61 different countries. www.gha.com
For media enquiries, please contact Anantara Group PR Office: Tel: + 66 (0) 2365 7500
Mark Thomson
Director of PR & Communications
Email: mthomson@anantara.com
Natasha Rhymes
Director of PR & Corporate Communications
Email: nrhymes@anantara.com