The Story behind the Game
What have started out as a whimsical conversation between two quirky sport lovers, evolved itself to be known as the 6th largest annual event in the Thai tourism calendar. The event in question of being polo with an adventurous twist thus was the birth of polo played on the back of elephants.
The World Elephant Polo Association established the governing rules for Elephant Polo in 1982; the association has its headquarters at the Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge in the Royal Chitwan Park in Nepal, which is where the World Elephant Polo Tournament played every year on a grassy airfield in Megauly. This tournament is played within a relatively small circuit, including the countries Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
In Thailand, the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament was first launched in Hua Hin by Anantara Resort in 2001. In 2006, the tournament moved to Golden Triangle and was hosted by Anantara Resort Golden Triangle. Elephants are a key symbol of Thailand’s history, and nothing but utmost respect is given to the pachyderms and all proceeds of the tournament are used to ensuring their welfare, sustenance, employment, mahout training and medical treatment provision.
Thai Elephant Polo Association
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Due to the size of these great mammals, each team is comprised of three players and their four legged accomplice on a marked pitch of 100 metres by 60 metres using a standard size polo ball. |
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The game is divided into two 7-minute “chukkas”, or halves, of playing time with an interval of 15 minutes. The whistle blown by the referee stops and starts the play. Both elephants and playing pitch ends are changed after the first chukka. |
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The pitch is marked with a centre line; a circle with a radius of 10 metres in the centre of the field, and a semi-circle, in front of the goals, with a radius of 20 metres, measured from the centre of the goal line at either end of the pitch which is referred to as the D. |
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The scoring system awards two points to a winning team and one point apiece to teams which draw. |
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