King's Cup Elephant Polo King's Cup Elephant Polo King's Cup Elephant Polo is an elephant polo event played three times a year in Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. The event is sponsored by Anantara Hotels, a brand owned by the Minor Hotel Group of Bangkok, Thailand. In each match, two teams compete. Each team consists of five humans and five elephants. There is no monetary prize. Sponsors have included Johnnie Walker, PwC, Peroni, and IBM. PETA claims that at least eight other corporate sponsors have ended their support of the event due to its allegedly inhumane nature. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
War elephant left a deep cultural legacy in many countries. Many traditional war games incorporate war elephants. Chaturanga, the ancient Indian board game from which modern chess has gradually developed, calls its bishop "Gaja", meaning elephant in Sanskrit; it is still called an elephant in Chinese chess. Also in Arabic – and derived from it, in Spanish – the bishop piece is called "al-fil", Arabic for "elephant"; in Russian, too, the bishop piece is an elephant (Слон). In Bengali, the bishop is called "hati", Bengali for "elephant". In the Japanese game shogi, there used to be a piece known as the "Drunken