BANGKOK, Thailand – After four days of fun festivities and trunk-to-trunk action, the 13th annual King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament has come to a close. Taking place in Bangkok for the first time, 16 teams showcased skillful play and created many memorable on-pitch moments, with the tournament resulting in new champions and tens of thousands of dollars raised for Thailand’s elephant population.

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 Thailand. The auction gala dinner at Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa raised 4.5 million Thai Baht, taking the total raised to date by the tournament to US $900,000 (THB 28.7m).

A total of 50 street elephants took part in this year’s tournament, during which they were well fed, received essential vitamin supplements, full veterinary checks and care for the duration of the event.

With free admission, the event has something for everyone, kicking off with a spectacular opening parade, an opening ceremony overseen by Thailand’s last ‘elephant spirit men’ (Kru Ba Yai), traditional dancers, plus the daily pachyderm action on the pitch. Day two saw the tournament host two thousand children from local schools, where the children were invited to get up close with the elephants and learn more about their national animal.

The tournament was once again a great success, with spectators, players and media coming from all corners of the globe, including the USA and Canada, New Zealand, India, Europe, the UAE, Hong Kong, China and many local visitors from Bangkok.

Beneficiaries of the 2014 tournament will include an extension of the ongoing Thai Elephant Therapy Project being undertaken since 2009 in conjunction with Chiang Mai University Department of Occupational Therapy, with future clinics to include helping children with Down syndrome and other conditions.

Other projects to benefit: building the first elephant hospital in Krabi in southern Thailand; a support crane to help lame elephants stand, donations to the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre (TECC); 4,000 trees planted in Hua Hin to shelter elephant corridors from electric fencing in the area; funding the first educational computer application for children to teach them the importance of conservation and protection of wild elephants in Thailand and funding Asia’s first workshop to show traditional elephant trainers and camp owners the benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training for domesticated elephants.