Elephant polo

Elephant polo
Elephant Polo World Cup 2012, Meghauli, Nepal
Highest governing bodyWorld Elephant Polo Association (WEPA)
Characteristics
ContactNo
Mixed-sexYes
TypeOutdoor recreation
Presence
Country or regionWorldwide
OlympicNo
ParalympicNo

Elephant polo is a variant of polo played while riding elephants. It is played in Nepal, and Thailand. England and Scotland regularly field teams. Equipment consists of a standard polo ball and a 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) to 3 metres (9.8 ft) cane (similar to bamboo) sticks with a polo mallet head on the end. The pitch is three-quarters of the length of a standard polo pitch, due to the lower speed of the elephants. Two people ride each elephant; the elephants are steered by mahouts, while the player tells the mahout which way to go and hits the ball.