PHNOM PENH, Nov 30: The pride of a nation rests heavily on the shoulders of Cambodian wrestler Chov Sotheara.
The 23-year-old is one of three athletes carrying Cambodian hopes that the Southeast Asian sporting underdog can win its first Asian Games medal in more than three decades.
"This is the first time I've joined the Games," says the wrestler who brought home a bronze medal from the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam in 2003 and again last year from the Philippines.
"I don't know if I can get a medal," she says. "But I have to try. I will try my best."
The 2006 Asian Games start on December 1 in Doha, Qatar. Among the 17 Cambodian athletes competing is Sok Dara, who quit a good job as a mechanic to devote every spare moment to his sport, judo.
"It's a competition between individuals, but it is for the nation and (winning) for the nation is more important," he says, taking a break from training inside Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium, a vast sports ground that has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect.
The shabby training facilities underscore the fundamental disadvantage Cambodians face in international competition.
Under-trained, and sometimes under-fed, athletes from this impoverished, war-scarred country struggle to meet even the most basic needs, from uniforms and coaching to travel expenses.
Rampant corruption has also plagued Cambodian athletics. Most recently, members of the National Olympic Committee were accused by Prime Minister Hun Sen of stealing nearly one million dollars. Cambodia has not won an Asiad medal since 1970, when it took two silvers in boxing as well as bronzes in men's swimming and women's volleyball.
Five years later the country was banned from international competition when the communist Khmer Rouge seized control, killing up to million people during their four-year rule.
The nearly 20 years of civil war that followed cast a further shadow over Cambodia's sporting ambitions.
The country returned to Asiad competition in 1994 and for all its setbacks has made small gains over the years in other competitions.
"Right now I think we can reach the same standards as other (Southeast Asian) countries," says Sok Dara, who has taken one silver medal in five international tournaments.
Other Cambodian athletes have also met success in regional competitions, says Vath Chamroeun, the chief of Cambodia's Asian Games team.
"We can have a chance to get some medals. We have athletes competing in seven sports in Doha but we have a chance to win in wrestling, taekwondo and snooker," he says.
Cambodia also plans to compete in swimming, beach volleyball, judo and athletics.
One of Cambodia's rising stars is local 17-year-old taekwondo phenom Chhoeng Putthearim.
Under the watchful eye of a South Korean coach, she trains three times a day, hoping the extra effort will pay off in Doha.
"I hope my dreams come true this year. The training is more difficult than normal, but I hope I can win a medal," she says as she takes a break after a gruelling session.
The 23-year-old is one of three athletes carrying Cambodian hopes that the Southeast Asian sporting underdog can win its first Asian Games medal in more than three decades.
"This is the first time I've joined the Games," says the wrestler who brought home a bronze medal from the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam in 2003 and again last year from the Philippines.
"I don't know if I can get a medal," she says. "But I have to try. I will try my best."
The 2006 Asian Games start on December 1 in Doha, Qatar. Among the 17 Cambodian athletes competing is Sok Dara, who quit a good job as a mechanic to devote every spare moment to his sport, judo.
"It's a competition between individuals, but it is for the nation and (winning) for the nation is more important," he says, taking a break from training inside Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium, a vast sports ground that has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect.
The shabby training facilities underscore the fundamental disadvantage Cambodians face in international competition.
Under-trained, and sometimes under-fed, athletes from this impoverished, war-scarred country struggle to meet even the most basic needs, from uniforms and coaching to travel expenses.
Rampant corruption has also plagued Cambodian athletics. Most recently, members of the National Olympic Committee were accused by Prime Minister Hun Sen of stealing nearly one million dollars. Cambodia has not won an Asiad medal since 1970, when it took two silvers in boxing as well as bronzes in men's swimming and women's volleyball.
Five years later the country was banned from international competition when the communist Khmer Rouge seized control, killing up to million people during their four-year rule.
The nearly 20 years of civil war that followed cast a further shadow over Cambodia's sporting ambitions.
The country returned to Asiad competition in 1994 and for all its setbacks has made small gains over the years in other competitions.
"Right now I think we can reach the same standards as other (Southeast Asian) countries," says Sok Dara, who has taken one silver medal in five international tournaments.
Other Cambodian athletes have also met success in regional competitions, says Vath Chamroeun, the chief of Cambodia's Asian Games team.
"We can have a chance to get some medals. We have athletes competing in seven sports in Doha but we have a chance to win in wrestling, taekwondo and snooker," he says.
Cambodia also plans to compete in swimming, beach volleyball, judo and athletics.
One of Cambodia's rising stars is local 17-year-old taekwondo phenom Chhoeng Putthearim.
Under the watchful eye of a South Korean coach, she trains three times a day, hoping the extra effort will pay off in Doha.
"I hope my dreams come true this year. The training is more difficult than normal, but I hope I can win a medal," she says as she takes a break after a gruelling session.
No comments:
Post a Comment