The sport is elephant polo, and this year's King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament, with team members weighing in at a couple of tonnes each, starts tomorrow in the beautiful northern town of Chiang Saen in Chiang Rai province and finishes with the semi-finals and finals on Sunday, September 10.

In only five years the King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament has gone from a small two-day event with six teams into a week-long extravaganza and last year featured 16 teams from three continents with 55 players from 15 countries.

And the sport is growing, with annual tournaments taking place in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand.

One of the greatest rivalries at the past four tournaments held here in Thailand has been the annual curtain-raiser match between a team from The Nation and a side from the Bangkok Post. However, this year the teams from Thailand's two leading English-language papers have been asked to field a combined side, which will take on a team of international media in tomorrow afternoon's curtain-raiser.

After some detailed planning stretching over several late nights, a Thai media team which would make Jose Mourinho green with envy was selected. Well, perhaps our team selection would just make him green.

Sharing the striker's job up front in attack will be the lightning quick Thai combination of Wanchi Rujawonsanti from the Bangkok Post and Kittipong Thongsombat of Post Today.

The three-a-side Thai media team will have The Nation's solid fullback Don Entz back in defence, while Alan Parkhouse will warm the bench in the first half and come on fresh as a secret weapon in the second half.

"Some people think that gunning a big Harley Davidson down an open highway is a big thrill, but that's nothing compared to sitting on the back of an elephant, charging flat out down a field full of other elephants running full speed and with a 10-foot club in your hand," said former Wallaby Peter FitzSimons, who played in last year's tournament with two other former Australian rugby representatives.

"At first it's as scary as facing the All Blacks, but once you get used to it, and you realize how smart the elephants are, it's a load of fun."

Three former All Blacks have entered this year's King's Cup and will be joined by ESPN Rugby Show personality Justin Sampson, presumably on large elephants.

This year the tournament moves from its former base on the coast at Hua Hin to the mountains of the north on the borders of Burma, Laos and Thailand, the area known as The Golden Triangle.

Once again teams from around the world have entered the event and a big contingent of international media will also be on the sidelines, recording the action at one of the world's most unusual sporting events.

One of the things which makes the King's Cup Elephant Polo Tournament great is the fact that it is a charitable event which raises money for the National Elephant Institute in Lampang, northern Thailand.

To date, the tournament - which was started in 2001 by Christopher Stafford, the Vice-President of the Anantara group of resorts which hosts each year's event - has raised US$140,000 for the Institute, which provides medical care, sustenance, employment, welfare and mahout training to Thailand's elephant population.

Last year's winning captain, Torquil Ian Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll who is also a world champion at horse polo, is saddling up for another round of chukkas this year, as is Margie McDougal, said to be the most experienced female player in the world.

Thai model and singer Odette is also rumoured to be set to mount a pachyderm in Chiang Rai.

The teams will be based at the Anantara Resort Golden Triangle, 60 kilometres north of Chiang Rai, and the tournament will be played on the field at the Chiang Saen Witthayakthom School in Chiang Saen.

Buk See-da

The Nation

Spectators are welcome and entry is free. For more information, go to: www.elephantpolo.com.