HUA HIN, THAILAND – A beachfront polo tournament at the InterContinental Hua Hin brought high society, fast sport and charity together under the blazing sun.
Seeing and Being Seen
Polo in Hua Hin had long been more than a sport. The stands and sections of the beach filled with elegantly dressed women in elaborate hats, accompanied by men in sporty, casual outfits. Those who were there knew it – and wanted others to know it as well.
Guests repeatedly moved to where shade, cool drinks and small snacks awaited. The fact that the actual tournament sometimes faded into the backdrop bothered hardly anyone. The motto of this year’s event, “Celestial Blue & Pearl Summer Elegance,” was visible everywhere, from visitors’ outfits to the decorations around the field.
Sport, Fashion and Speed
Alongside the matches, the programme was broader than in several previous years. A fashion show staged on horseback drew astonishment and applause. A speed race along the sea added a different accent – faster, louder, rougher.
Sponsor B.Grimm had clearly set out the concept: sport, fashion and simple fun were to be united under one roof. On the field, international teams from Belgium, England, Thailand and the United States faced each other. For laypeople, polo remained a somewhat puzzling game – when exactly a point was scored, why players suddenly changed direction, what the referee had just decided.
The announcer did his best, explaining rules and introducing teams, though the pace of his information sometimes left something to be desired. The skill on display was impressive nonetheless, immediately evident in both the players and the horses.
Mallet, Cigar End and Refined Skill
Anyone who had never seen polo quickly learned that the heart of the game was the horses. Without their speed, agility and trust in the rider, nothing worked. The players tried to drive the ball into the goal with the mallet – and above all with the so‑called “cigar end,” the end piece of the wooden stick.
That sounded simpler than it was. What remained was the impression of a sport that did not necessarily assume its spectators were experts. People were allowed to marvel, to guess, to be wrong.
The atmosphere carried visitors through the afternoon, with the sea breeze adding to the experience. Polo in Hua Hin was an invitation – to marvel, to watch and, yes, to be seen.
A Good Cause in the Background
Behind the glamour of the event lay a serious side. The proceeds of the 15th tournament, held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendiradebyavati, known as Princess Pa, flowed entirely into the Kamlangjai Project, her personal cause.
The project focused on rehabilitation, education and vocational training opportunities for prison inmates and aimed to help them regain a foothold in society after release. Such commitment deserved more than a footnote in the programme. It was the real reason the tournament took place year after year – and why it was more than an elegant summer party on the beach.