Jetsettersblog

Thailand’s ancient city of Ayutthaya will be the venue for the World Thai Martial Arts Festival and Wai Khru Muay Thai Ceremony this March.

AYUTTHAYA, THAILAND — Thailand visitors will be able to celebrate one of the world’s most renowned combat disciplines at the upcoming World Thai Martial Arts Festival and Wai Khru Muay Thai Ceremony.

To be held at the Nai Khanom Tom Monument at the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Stadium from March 15th to 17th, the event will see more than 300 boxers from 30 nations participating.

It features a martial arts tournament, in which fighters from the UK, Canada, Russia, Korea and other parts of the world compete in various weight categories for cash prizes, while exhibitions and educational sessions will also be held.

Of particular significance is the Wai Khru ritual, an integral element of Muay Thai training that involves the assembled fighters paying respect to their masters and taking part in initiation rites in order to prove themselves as true Muay Thai fighters.

The event is held in honour of Nai Khanom Tom, a legendary Thai warrior from the 1700s, who Muay Thai practitioners venerate to this day.

Combined with opportunities to purchase traditional handicrafts and sample Thai cuisine, the festival is set to offer a fascinating cultural experience for all.

Find out more about the event at http://www.tatnews.org

The London Olympic Committee released 120,000 rooms last week, and the hotels will soon be posting their Olympic rates. Radisson Edwardian Hotels has just released rooms available for booking during the Olympics, to be held July 27 to Aug. 12. Prices start at $254 at the Radisson Edwardian Heathrow and begin at $394 right in the city.

Whether guests have tickets to the events or not, the city will be full of spectators and luxury London hotel group Radisson Edwardian has released a series of last-minute offers available during the games. Radisson Edwardian’s hotels are located in some of the most sought-after neighborhoods in London, including destinations near the Olympic sites, optimal shopping destinations and theaters. With prices starting at £160 ($254) per night for a standard double, Radisson Edwardian hotels are an ideal base for exploring the many Olympic event sites.

The Radisson Edwardian Mercer Street Hotel is a new boutique property in London’s hidden village of Seven Dials and is within 30 minutes of the Olympic Park. Rates start from £455 ($719) per night, for a standard twin room, based on a three-night stay.

The five-star Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel is in Leicester Square and has rates from £465 ($735) per night, for a standard, double room, based on a three-night stay.

The Radisson Edwardian Berkshire Hotel on Oxford Street is less than 25 minutes from the Olympic Village and within a 10-minute walk to Hyde Park, the location for the triathlon/marathon and swimming events. Rates begin at £325 ($513) per night, for a standard, single room.

The Radisson Edwardian Vanderbilt is a short walk from the National History Museum and Horse Guards, which will host the Glamazonian Volley Ball competition. Rates start at £249 ($394) per night, for a standard, single room, based on a two-night stay.

The Radisson Edwardian Grafton is ideal for guests who would like easy access to all Olympic venues including the Village, Wembley and Greenwich Park. Rates are from £399 ($631) per night, for a deluxe room based on a three-night stay.

The Radisson Edwardian Heathrow provides a gateway to the South West London sporting venues including Hampton Court Palace (cycling), Eton Dorney (rowing) and Wimbledon (tennis). Rates are from £150 ($237) per night, for single occupancy.

The Radisson Edwardian Guildford is the newest addition to the Radisson Edwardian brand, and is for those who require convenient access into London but prefer a less urbane landscape. Rates are from £295 ($466) per night. All the rates above are shown as excluding tax and breakfast and are strictly subject to availability. Payment must be received at time of reservation.

The Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will host the March $1 Million Tournament Challenge, a sports handicapping contest featuring 100 percent payback from the entry fees, with a $1 million prize pool (based on 1,000 total entrants).

Entries for the handicapping contest are $1,000.

Contestants select winning teams and point totals listed on the daily contest sheet, totaling 64 selections — 48 sides and 16 totals — over the course of the four days of the first two rounds. The winners will be announced on March 18, after the final game of the day. The first 100 entrants who sign up and pay prior to Feb. 13 will receive $100 off their entry fee and reserved seating in the viewing area.

In addition, various other activities take place in between games and during breaks, including a beer pong competition, a free-throw shooting contest, and a three-on-three Bikini Basketball Tournament.

The contest is open to anyone 21 years of age or older.

A valid ID must be presented upon contest registration, as well as when daily selections are made. The registration deadline is March 15 at 8 a.m. Daily contest sheets will be available on March 14. To sign up, visit the Riviera or call 800-637-5687.

Nevis’ Nisbet Plantation Beach Club is offering more than 40 percent off published rates for accommodations during the TriStar111 Triathlon in March, which will feature some of the world’s top athletes competing for a $10,000 top prize. Under the offer, nightly rates start at $199 for a superior room and at $249 for a deluxe garden suite.

The events begin on March 25 with the Nevis-St.Kitts cross-channel swim, and conclude March 31 with the TriStar111 triathlon. There will also be two other triathlon formats, the TriStar11.1 and TriStar33.3, for new triathletes and those in training. The 36-square-mile island of Nevis is a short water taxi ride away from sister-island St. Kitts. Direct flights into St. Kitts (SKB) are available from many gateway cities in the U.S. and Canada. Connecting flights into Nevis are available from San Juan, St. Maarten and Antigua.

Insight Cuba, a provider of authorized people-to-people travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens, is offering a five-day/four-night program to attend the Marabana Havana Marathon. The program is targeted to avid marathon runners who like to collect marathons in different places. Insight Cuba is the official U.S. travel provider for the Marabana Havana Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K and 5K. The event was established in 1987 and attracts some of the world’s best runners.

As an authorized provider of travel Cuba, licensed by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the company can assure that the trip will comply with the U.S. government restrictions on travel to Cuba, dating back to the early 1960s.

The run through Havana will take place Sunday, Nov. 18. “It has been a dream of mine to see scores of Cubans and Americans running side by side for 26.2 miles, sharing in a day full of individual and collective triumphs,” said Tom Popper, director of Insight Cuba. “This marathon is the ultimate people-to-people experience and something that’s been largely impossible for most U.S. runners since 1963.”

The marathon’s course winds through avenues of the historic city, protected as a UNESCO World Heritage city, and past historic places such as the Malecón, a wide roadway and seawall along the coast of Havana; and the Hotel Nacional de Cuba, expansive Revolution Square, and the monument tribute to national hero José Martí. The course passes through the Parque Central, the hub of Havana’s social activity where heated discussions take place about the national sport, baseball, as well as the impressive Cabaña Fortress, Morro Fortress and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza, which protect Havana’s beautiful harbor.

In addition to the marathon, runners will have opportunities to participate in people-to-people encounters, which will include memorable meetings with both Cuban runners and disabled athletes. Informative tours of the University of Sports “Manuel Fajardo” and Sports Medicine Institute in Havana will also be featured.

Insight Cuba’s Marabana Havana Marathon will take place Nov. 15 to 19. The price includes a marathon entry fee; a medical check-up; most meals, including a marathon pasta lunch on Saturday afternoon; superior first-class hotel accommodations in Havana; a Cuban host to handle all marathon details and people-to-people activities; all entrance fees to scheduled activities and events; all in-country ground transportation and transfers; U.S. Treasury Department license and Letter of Authorization; and travel insurance, emergency medical evacuation insurance and medical trip cancellation coverage.

Prices for the five-night Marabana Havana Marathon program are $1,995 per person double occupancy; $2,295 single occupancy. Runners may participate in the full marathon, half marathon, 10K or 5K. Space is limited. Insight Cuba is a division of Cross-Cultural Solutions, an independent not-for-profit organization and leader in international volunteering and people-to-people cultural exchange with more than 26,000 alumni since its inception in 1995. For more information, call 800-450-CUBA (2822).

Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas revealed the dates of the King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament for 2012. The charitable event, now in its 11th year, has to date raised over half a million dollars in charity to help Thailand’s elephants. This year’s event will be held in the Thai seaside town of Hua Hin from Sept. 12 to 16.

Last year’s tournament featured 12 teams encompassing over 40 players, including German royals Prince Carl-Eugen Oettingen-Wallerstein, his wife Princess Anna and daughter Princess Joanna, along with members of the New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team. A celebrity auction was also held with international celebrities including Olympic 100 meter Gold Medalist Linford Christie, Grammy Award winners Lady Antebellum, U.K. fashion designer Anja Hindmarsh and Korean pop star Park Jung Min.

Fundraising from last year’s event has been donated to three projects in Thailand. The first is to continue to support research and clinics using elephants in therapy sessions for children in Thailand living with autism. In addition, the money raised has also been used to launch the first and only elephant hospital in southern Thailand, as well as a human-elephant conflict project between the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF) and the Elephant Conservation Network (ECN) charity who works in a wildlife reserve in Kanchanaburi.

Are you a professional basketball fan? Do you have an Arizona hunting or fishing license?

The Phoenix Suns are offering discounted ticket prices for two games in February to people who have a current Arizona hunting or fishing license. If you haven’t already purchased your license for 2012, this is a great incentive to do so.

Discounted tickets will be available for the following games:

February 15 vs. Atlanta Hawks
100 level baseline (regularly $79.95) for only $50
200 level sideline (regularly 29.75) for only $25

February 19 vs. L.A. Lakers
100 level baseline (regularly $194.75) for only $175
200 level sideline (regularly $115.75) for only $112

This unique group package includes a discounted Suns’ ticket, a FREE Suns’ drawstring backpack with each ticket purchase, and a special group welcome on the Jumbotron.

For an informational flyer, visit http://www.azgfd.gov/pdfs/h_f/fishing/12ST%20-%20AZGFD%20FINAL.pdf

Tickets can be ordered online at http://tinyurl.com/azgfdtix (use Promo Code: AZGFD), or by filling out the order form on the flyer and faxing to (602) 379-7873.

If you have questions, contact Kyle Pottinger at the Phoenix Suns at kpottinger@suns.com or call (602) 379-7506.

Today marks six months to go until the opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and host venues across the country are preparing to welcome athletes across a whole range of sporting disciplines. Worldwide, Olympic spectators are anticipated to be inspired to take up a new sport themselves, in what is being called ‘the Olympics effect.’ But for those that don’t own any sports equipment, don’t have the skill or aren’t ready to commit to the training required to succeed in Olympic disciplines, England has plenty of less conventional competitive activities on offer.

VisitEngland’s Chairman Lady Cobham says: “This year is a fantastic time to be in England, and not just for Olympic and Paralympic sports enthusiasts. The range of alternative sports taking place across the country is evidence of this – there is something for everyone and these unusual events really bring to the fore some of our country’s quirkier heritage and culture. In addition to these annual competitions, there will be hundreds of events and festivals taking place in a jam-packed cultural and sporting calendar. There’s really no better time to take a vacation in England!”

So grab some galoshes, gravy-proof clothing and a pea shooter and get involved in some of England’s alternative sporting events. Here, VisitEngland, the country’s national tourism body, describes ten of the best…

1. Pancake Dashing
February 21, 2012 (Shrove Tuesday), Olney, Buckinghamshire
The unique Olney Pancake Race literally stops traffic as, once a year, energetic local ladies in traditional housewife attire (including skirt, apron and scarf), run through the streets of Olney. The 415-yard dash is started by the church warden at 11.55am prompt using a large bronze ‘Pancake Bell.’ Pancakes are tossed at the start of the race and the winner is required to toss her pancake again at the finish. The race has been run since around 1445 and since 1950, the contest has been an international event between Olney and the town of Liberal, Kansas in the US. The race is run on a timed basis and the winner is declared after times are compared during a transatlantic telephone call. www.visitbuckinghamshire.org/events/olney-pancake-race-p692671

2. Coal Carrying
April 9, 2012, Ossett, West Yorkshire

Held each year on Easter Monday, the World Coal Carrying Contest is a great test of strength and stamina in which participants carry 50kg (men) or 20kg (women) of coal over a mile-long uphill course. The World Coal Carrying Contest dates back to 1963 when a local coal merchant and the president of the Maypole Committee were enjoying a pint together. A friend burst into the pub and bet that he could race them with a bag of coal on their backs. Not to let a good idea go to waste, the secretary of the Maypole Committee decided to set the race for Easter Monday. The current world record, held by David Jones of Meltham, is 4 mins 6 secs. But will he hold onto it? www.gawthorpe.ndo.co.uk/coal.htm

3. Shin-Kicking
June 1, 2012, Dover’s Hill, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
Started by local barrister Captain Robert Dover in 1612, the annual Cotswold Olimpicks attracts thousands of spectators and features some well-known countryside games such as tug-of-war, obstacle races and wrestling as well as a few stranger events – including shin-kicking. The two contestants first fill their trouser legs with straw – to help reduce the pain – before holding one another’s arms and kicking each other wearing steel toe-capped boots. The loser is the competitor that gives in to the pain and bruising first. 2012 marks the Olimpicks’ 400th anniversary, so expect some special celebrations this year.

www.olimpickgames.co.uk

4. Cheese Rolling
June 4, 2012, Brockworth, Gloucestershire
A passion for cheese is a must for this annual event, which involves daredevils hurling themselves down the steep, grassy slopes in pursuit of Double Gloucester cheeses. The race starts with the master of ceremonies rolling a 4kg Double Gloucester cheese down the hill. On the whistle, competitors run, roll and somersault down the hill after it. It’s impossible not to fall over due to the rough uneven nature of the slope, which has a dizzying 1:2 gradient. The winners take home the cheeses as well as a few cuts and bruises. The event dates back to medieval times and is popular with international competitors.
www.cheese-rolling.co.uk

5. Egg Throwing
June 24, 2012, between Helpringham & Swaton, Lincolnshire
In the annual World Egg Throwing Championships, contestants must construct a gravity-powered egg-hurling device to launch an egg to a waiting team member. To achieve points, the team member must either catch the egg unbroken or get struck by the egg. As the egg can be traveling at speeds of up to 120 mph this is particularly tricky and can be painful. Distances to be achieved start at 30 meters but can be extended up to 150 in the knock out competition. Event competitions include basic throwing, catching relays and egg roulette.www.eggthrowing.com

6. Pea Shooting
July 14, 2012, Witcham, Cambridgeshire

This international event brings challengers from as far as New Zealand and the US to compete for the World Pea Shooting trophy. Accuracy, not distance, is the aim of this competition, with contestants shooting a pea through a 12-inch tube, 12 feet towards a 12-inch target. Competition is fierce and laser-guided shooters for specialists are not uncommon. Pea shooters and peas can be bought at the event.

www.eastcambs.gov.uk/tourism

7. Toe Wrestling
August 25, 2012, Fenny Bentley, Ashbourne
Each August the Bentley Brook Inn in Derbyshire hosts the Ben & Jerry’s World Toe Wrestling Championship. The event was conceived in 1976 in a pub in Wetton, when the locals of ‘Ye Olde Royal Oak Inn’ thought it would be a great idea to hold a toe wrestling competition. Competitors locked their big toes together, and attempted to force their opponent’s foot to the ground. The organisers have big intentions for the sport, and applied in 1997 for its inclusion in the Olympic Games. Unfortunately for fans, it was not accepted. www.bentleybrookinn.co.uk/page14.html

8. Gravy Wrestling
August 27, 2012, the Rose & Bowl Inn, Bacup, Rossendale.
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships take place annually as part of the Pennine Lancashire Festival of Food & Culture and celebrate their 5th anniversary in 2012. In this saucy challenge, teams slide around in lukewarm gravy and attempt to wrestle on another to the ground. Team members win points for pinning the opposition down in the gravy. www.worldgravywrestling.com

9. Black Pudding Throwing

September 9, 2012, Royal Oak, Bridge Street, Ramsbottom, Lancashire
Lancashire is famous for the production of this regional delicacy – along with tripe (cow’s stomach) and elder (steamed cows’ udder) – and so is a fitting home for the World Black Pudding Throwing Championships. The aim is to throw a black pudding that has been wrapped in a pair of ladies tights at a collection of Yorkshire puddings on a plinth 20 feet up a tower built in the middle of the main street in Ramsbottom. Whoever knocks down the most, wins! www.ramsbottomonline.com/tag/the-world-black-pudding-throwing-championship/

10. Conker Knockout
October 14, 2012, Ashton, near Oundle, Peterborough
The game of conkers has been a popular pastime for British schoolchildren for decades. The rules are simple. Each player is given a conker (horse chestnut) attached to a piece of string and they take turns to swing their conker at their opponent’s and try to break it. The World Conker Championships are held each year on the village green in Ashton, Peterborough and attract over 300 competitors attempting to become the King or Queen of Conkers. There are various categories for the knockout competition – ladies, men, teenagers and children. The world tournament came about after a group of local friends had to cancel their annual fishing trip one year. From the pub, they saw conkers falling from the trees onto the village green. They went out and had a game… www.worldconkerchampionships.com

London & Partners launched its “World Record London” campaign at the London Hotel NYC. The official promotion organization for the British capital and Guinness World Records invited its New York-based business partners to the official announcement of one of the highlights of London’s summer — the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

More than 60 New York businesses — including representatives from British Airways and Radisson Edwardian Hotels, and Pam Block, CMP of PHB Events — became Guinness World Records Breakers by partaking in the Longest Curtsey Relay in Five Minutes with 314 curtsies. Britain’s youngest etiquette expert, William Hanson, was also in attendance to help guests perfect their curtsey, while the Guinness World Records team evaluated and shared the results with event attendees.

World Record London is a new campaign that will aim to make London a multi-record-breaking city over the next six months. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the capital’s promotional organization will attempt more than 20 Guinness World Records. All records will be adjudicated by Guinness World Records, the universal authority on record-breaking achievements.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations will take place in London just over a year after the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. A four-day holiday over the first weekend in June will feature the world’s largest parade of boats on the river Thames, a concert at Buckingham Palace and the lighting of beacons across the U.K. and Commonwealth.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ St. Regis brand will expand its partnership with Sentebale by joining the charitable polo match played in Sao Paolo, Brazil, for the first time this March. The Sentebale Royal Salute Polo Cup aims to raise support for the improved health care and education of the children of Lesotho, and will have HRH Prince Harry, playing for the Sentebale team, against St. Regis Connoisseur Nacho Figueras, who will captain the St. Regis team.

In 2010, Prince Harry attended an Evening to Honor Sentebale at The St. Regis New York, celebrating the St. Regis brand’s and the charity’s connection with New York City and polo. This March will mark the third Sentebale Polo Cup and the continuation of the charity’s relationship with the St. Regis brand. Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho launched the event in Barbados in 2010 to raise awareness and funds for Sentebale, the charity they founded to continue the legacy of their late mothers’ charitable work with children.