King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament

The British introduced pachyderms to polo-playing in India in the early twentieth century. The World Elephant Polo Association was created over seventy-five years later, inspiring a renaissance in the sport, which is now played in Nepal, India, and Thailand. Some necessary adjustments have been made to polo’s rules: each beast is guided by a trainer who responds to instructions from the player; a specially elongated malled is used; and it is considered a foul if an animal lies down in front of the goal or lifts the ball with its trunk.