Cambodia plans to send athletes to International competition in Indonesia

Cambodian athletes to the Sea Games met with Hun Xen (Photo: Supplied)

01 Nov 2011
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

Cambodia plans to send more than 100 athletes to compete in Indonesia next week.

At the same time, Hun Xen promised that he will reward $3,000 to athletes who bring home gold medals, $2,000 for a silver medal and $1,000 for a bronze medal.

On 31 October 2011, Hun Xen reminded the more than 100 Cambodian athletes who will compete at the Sea Games in Indonesia in November and he also asked that these athletes preserve Cambodia’s renown and that they will bring back medals and victory to Cambodia.

Meas Sarin, the undersecretary of state at the ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and former secretary of the Cambodian Olympic Commission, introduced the athletes to Hun Xen at the Peace building on 31 October.

Meas Sarin said that the athletes received encouragements from Hun Xen: “No matter win or lose, don’t think that the country is small or poor, don’t put that in your head. When competing, win or lose you should not bring dishonor to the country or should you break any rule, i.e. you must respect the rule and the orders properly.”

75-year-old Hor Sovannara, the Cambodian petanque instructor and a former national athlete in the 60s, as well as a medal winner for Cambodia, said that he hopes Cambodian athletes will bring victory to Cambodia: “They will get medals, we can’t tell what kind of medal: gold or not, how many, etc… we don’t know. But we hope that they will win medals, both men and women (who are Cambodian athletes).”

There will be 20 types of competitions: soccer, volley ball, basket ball, gymnastic, swimming, shuttlecock, petanque, Te Kwan Do, and other types of sports.

The Cambodian team will count 162 athletes, but it swells to 230 when the number of delegates is also counted in. They will leave Cambodia on 05 and 09 November 2011.

The Sea Games will last between 11 and 22 November and they will take place in Indonesia.

In 2001, Cambodian athletes received only a gold medal in petanque at the Malaysian Sea Games. In 2003, Cambodian athletes won a gold medal in Vietnam. They won 2 gold medals in Thailand and 2 gold medals in Laos in 2010 and 2009, respectively.