By Ek Madra
PHNOM PENH, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Cambodia will send almost three times more officials than athletes to this year's Olympics -- including the families of the country's sports chiefs.
The impoverished nation, which has never won an Olympic medal, will send 11 officials to Beijing to accompany just four athletes, Cambodia's Olympic committee chief said on Friday.
"We will have a team of two athletes and two swimmers," Meas Sarin told Reuters. "For the chef de mission and Olympic committee president and secretary general, guests such as wives or children can accompany us."
The athletes will each receive $200 from the government and the country's Olympic committee for attending the Games, with top officials given an allowance of $7,000, he added.
The announcement comes just over a year after Prime Minister Hun Sen blasted Cambodia's Olympic officials for freeloading after officials had squandered over $1 million, much of it on taking large entourages at international events.
The two gold medals won by Cambodia's petanque players at last year's Southeast Asian Games were among the country's proudest sporting moments.
"We don't have a hope of winning anything (in Beijing)," he said. "We have no qualified coaches, how can we get medals, it is impossible.
"At least we will be there, to show our faces to the world that we are there joining the Games."
(Editing by Martin Petty and Alastair Himmer)
The impoverished nation, which has never won an Olympic medal, will send 11 officials to Beijing to accompany just four athletes, Cambodia's Olympic committee chief said on Friday.
"We will have a team of two athletes and two swimmers," Meas Sarin told Reuters. "For the chef de mission and Olympic committee president and secretary general, guests such as wives or children can accompany us."
The athletes will each receive $200 from the government and the country's Olympic committee for attending the Games, with top officials given an allowance of $7,000, he added.
The announcement comes just over a year after Prime Minister Hun Sen blasted Cambodia's Olympic officials for freeloading after officials had squandered over $1 million, much of it on taking large entourages at international events.
The two gold medals won by Cambodia's petanque players at last year's Southeast Asian Games were among the country's proudest sporting moments.
"We don't have a hope of winning anything (in Beijing)," he said. "We have no qualified coaches, how can we get medals, it is impossible.
"At least we will be there, to show our faces to the world that we are there joining the Games."
(Editing by Martin Petty and Alastair Himmer)
4 comments:
How much hun Xen get from the 7,000 may be mutch more from the $1,000,000.
Hun Sen should be very proud for doing this. It's absolutely a world Olypic record. Please ask the our King for more medals and another Samdech title for Hun Sen. Samdech Moha Pouk Rolouy Saouy Min Chesh Khmas Neng Moha Thoak Teap, bangap Cheat!
Cambodia is the world Champion in Corruption but above all the King Father and PM HS are the champion of the champions of idiots...
As I remember, Hun Sen has committed to fight against corruption on sport issues, but he is doing the same thing as Ranaridh. They both are idiots.
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