4 Asian countries attended the Asian Beach Polo Championship.
The host team from Thailand won the first prize, a trophy of HRH Princess Patchara Kittiyapa. Taking place on 7 April 2012 at 3 p.m. on the beach in front of the InterContinental Hotel Hua Hin, the event was hosted by Mr. Suwat Liptapanlop, the president of B Grimm Corporation, Mr. Herald Link, the chairman of Thailand Equestrian Federation and the deputy mayor of Hua Hin Mr. Suwit Rienrungreung. The event was attended by competitors from 4 Asian countries: Thailand, Singapore, India and Macao. The winner of the first prize was Thailand while Singapore, India and Macao won the second, third and fourth prizes respectively.
The final round of the competition, in particular, excited all audiences very much because all competitors were quite active in the game. It was followed by a special beach polo competition of Thai youths which aimed to encourage young people of Thailand to play the sport more. Moreover, there was a fashion show of popular brand name products like Burberry and Furla by professional and honorary Thai models. Mr. Suwat said that, on behalf of the host for this event, he was pleased that Thai and foreign visitors were happy and impressed with both the equestrian competition and the colorful show. Besides the Asian Beach Polo Championship, Hua Hin has white sandy beach and many activities to welcome tourists throughout the year, such as Jazz on the Beach, an annual music event which is coming up in the next 2 months.
The Asian Polo Championship was also broadcasted live to many countries, thus promoting Hua Hin as a tourist attraction in Thailand which boasts natural wonders and promotes good image of the city in hosting an international sport event. Mr. Suwat added that the FIFA was considering organizing a beach football championship in Hua Hin thanks to its long and stretching clean beaches. However, he asked concerned authorities and agencies in Hua Hin to solve traffic congestion, noise pollution and crowded areas, especially during big events when many people and cars flock in the city, thus making some areas crowded and noisy.
