Mekhong have won the King’s Cup elephant polo title in Bangkok.

The team prevailed after four days of matches and activities on the banks of the Chao Praya River, featuring 10 teams and 40 players from all over the world. These included New Zealand’s All Black rugby stars, professional polo players and even a Miss Thailand team!

Now in its 15th year, the King’s Cup is organised by Anantara to raise funds for elephant conservation and protection. To date, the tournament has raised more than US$1.3 million for charitable projects, including elephant training workshops, mahout community development initiatives, and wild elephant conservation.

This year’s event, which ran from 9-12 March 2017, included 30 former street elephants which had been freed from a life of begging and given professional care. Anantara also ensures that all participating elephants have been domestically bred and not captured from the wild or smuggled in from neighbouring countries.

Off the pitch, the event – nicknamed “Bangkok’s Ascot” – was all about glamour, as local celebrities and socialites flocked to the riverfront polo ground, located adjacent to the Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort. The best-dressed attendee was awarded with a trip to the Maldives.