FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
11TH DECEMBER 1987

The Sixth World Elephant Polo Association Championship was played 6th-11th December at Tiger Tops Nepal with the eight teams being watched by an international audience including H.E. Sir Edmund Hillary, Callen Pinckney and the Rt. Hon’ble Minister for Tourism $ Labour, Mr. Ramesh nath Panday who presented the trophies. In an exciting final, the Championship was won by the Tiger Tops Tuskers who beat the favorites and defending champions the National Parks Team in an exciting final 4-0 which included some of the best elephant polo ever played. The Tuskers were captained as usual by Founder and Vice Chairman of WEPA, A.V. Jim Edwards, and Executive Chairman of Tiger Mountain.

This year foremost team sponsors was Pan American World Airways who finished fourth with a five man team captained as usual by Hank Auerbach, Managing Director UK $ Northern Europe. Ken Hemrajani represented Pan Am Delhi and James Manclark the WEPA Founder and Chairman played as a guest with Pan Am.

Callen Pinckney, the world famous inventor of the revolutionary exercise programmer Callanetics which was #2 on the U.S.A. bestseller lists led her glamorous Callanetics Ladies Team, which included killer whale trainer, Judy Petersen, to the Best Dressed Kukri visitor (donated by the British Gurkhas) with their superb red $ white team uniforms. They finished sixth place overall.

Oberoi Hotels India sponsored a fine and experienced team of Indian international polo players including the great Col. Billy Sodhi, Col. Raj Kalaan and Gurpal Singh Sandhu and captained as usual by the beautiful Ms. Efale Macfarlane. They finished a creditable third and won the prize as the most sporting team for their enthusiasm and skill.

The St. Moritz  Cresta Team was captained by Ruedi Honneger from Zurich, Switzerland. Despite both Cresta and polo played experience they were unplaced but contributed warmly to the spirit and glamour of the occasion.

The “Wooden Spoon” for the losers was won by the gallant, dashing British Gurkha Gladiators (Hannibal’s Own) always smartly turned out and very busy as the traditional time keepers, captained by Brigadier David Morgan.

The Tiger Tops Tigresses captained by Marigin McDougal secured the Ladies Challenge Trophy for the fifth consecutive year by convincingly beating the Callanetics Ladies 4-1.

  J&B Rare Scotch Whisky presented a beautiful silver shield for a new event, the All-Nepal Challenge. This was most convincingly won the National Park Team captained by the Director General Mr. B.N. Upreti, who beat the home team Tiger Tops Tuskers 9-2 yesterday making the championships all the more exciting and unexpected.

Elephant Polo is played with four elephants on each team and each game consists of two chukkars of 10 minutes each with a half time break of 15 minutes. The teams change ends and elephants at half time. The pitch is 120 yards by 70 yards, close to Meghuly airport near the famous Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge who sponsor and organize the event. Polo sticks are upto 100 inches long and a regular pony polo ball is used.

The 1988 event is scheduled 7-12 December.

All enquiries to:

Mrs. Lisa Choegyal
Secretary & Treasurer
WORLD ELEPHANT POLO ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 242
Kathmandu
NEPAL

Tel: +977-1- 4361500
Fax No:- +977-1-4361600

Email:info@tigermountain.com