Koreans, North and South, Train Cambodian Olympic Hopefuls

Cambodian Wrestler Chov Sotheara trains with another wrestler while a North Korean Coach watches, Phenom Penh, Cambodia, February 2012. (Photo: VOA - Daniel Schearf)

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March 12, 2012
Daniel Schearf | Phnom Penh
Voice of America

Cambodia has never won an Olympic medal, but at this year’s games in London, the country will try to break the streak with some Korean help.

Two of Cambodia’s Olympic hopefuls have Korean coaches - one from the South and one from the North.

Chov Sotheara is one of only a few Cambodian athletes who could qualify for the London Olympics. Driven to win in a sport dominated by men, she says her strict North Korean coach, Pak So Nam, gives her an edge, despite the language barrier.

“We use sign language," Chov said. "In this sport there are hand signals and grabbing. So, he shows us each movement and then all of us just follow him. And, if we make mistakes he corrects us.”

Aussie swimmer offers boost to Cambodian national team

Australia-born swimmer Bethany Robertson could be a future star of the Cambodian national swimming team and represent the Kingdom in international competitions. (Photo supplied)

Friday, 16 December 2011
Ken Gadaffi with additional reporting by Dan Riley
The Phnom Penh Post

Australian-born Bethany Robertson could become the latest addition to Cambodia’s burgeoning ranks of foreign based athletes that make themselves available for international competitions. The 16-year-old Victoria state and national champion swimmer, who is currently attending Genazzano FCJ College in the Melbourne suburb of Kew, has indicated an interest to represent her ancestral homeland rather than her country of residence.

Born to a Cambodian mother and Australian father, Robertson has taken part in over 40 domestic championships. Her father John is the President of Surrey Park Swimming Club, where Bethany trains and is captain of the team. He recently made enquiries to the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia over her eligibility to swim for the Kingdom.

John Robertson noted his daughter’s remarkable record in state championships, especially in long distance events such as the 5km open water swim.

Sorn Davin may become the first Cambodian to officially qualify for the Olympic Games in 16 years

Cambodia’s Sorn Davin will try to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics at a taekwondo tournament in Bangkok this weekend despite having a broken finger. (Photo by: Yeun Ponlok)

Sorn Davin shrugs off injury for Olympics bid

Wednesday, 23 November 2011
Yeun Ponlok
The Phnom Penh Post

Fresh from her SEA Games silver-medal performance in Jakarta last week, taekwondo star Sorn Davin is heading to Bangkok tomorrow for a tournament that could result in her becoming the first Cambodian to officially qualify for the Olympic Games in 16 years.

Although the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia is allowed to send a small delegation of wild-card entrants to each four-yearly edition, it is extremely rare for a Cambodian athlete to come even close to the qualification mark.

Cambodia welclomes back bronze medalist at Youth Olympic Games in Singapore

Sam Sothea

Date of Birth: 12 SEP 1994
Height: 150 cm
Weight: 43 kg
Sport: Judo

PHNOM PENH, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has expressed its pride after it had won a bronze medal at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Nhan Sokvisal, Chef de Mission who led the Cambodian athletes to the Games said Saturday that upon arrival in Phnom Penh on Friday, the female medalist was cheerfully escorted back by many Cambodians including the Minister of Tourism who was head of Cambodia Olympic Committee.

Nhan Sokvisal said "it was a big pride for Cambodia" to have won the medal.

He said Som Sothea, 15, was one of the four Cambodian athletes who attended the games and won the bronze medal.

She won the game of Judo, while the other three who competed in wresting, running and swimming did not win the medal.

However, Nhan Sokvisal said there were about 3,600 athletes who competed the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.

Those athletes came from 205 countries and regions in the world and Cambodia was classified as 79th following a bronze medal as won by Cambodia.

Cambodia changes squad for Asian indoor games events

PHNOM PENH, Oct. 23, 2009 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia will sent a delegation of 40 athletes and sports officials to the third Asian Indoor Games (AIG), to be held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 9 in Vietnam, local media reported on Friday.

Cambodian National Olympic Committe of Cambodia (NOCC) staff member and games coordinator for the Cambodian AIG contingent Touch Sopheak was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying that the Kingdom will send 10 more than originally planned thanks to the support of Vietnam, who provides logistic support for accommodation, transportation and catering.

"We will be competing in five events, namely Chinese chess, vovinam, aerobics, petangue and shuttle cock," said Touch Sopheak.

The games coordinator said that these five sports were the only ones whose federations had completed registration forms.

The committee had previously planned to compete in table tennis, badminton, wrestling, judo, futsal and indoor volleyball, but were forced to pull out, according to the Post.

"Some of the events we intended to enter are not included in the games," explained Vath Chamroeun, secretary general of the NOCC. "Besides, the AIG is not our top priority, so we are only sending high-performing athletes that are medal hopefuls."

Cambodia's best chance of medals comes in petanque and shuttle cock, a game similar to badminton but played with the feet. Sok Chamean won a gold medal in pentaque in men's singles at the 2007 SEA Games held in Thailand. He also combined with Ok Chimi to grab gold in men's doubles, while Ouk Sreymom and Ke Leng took silver in women's doubles. Chea Sreymeas is a bronze medalist in shuttle cock.

Cambodian shuttle cock team has already gone to Vietnam for training ahead of the games, while other delegates will depart via the Moc Bai order on October 28. They will split into two at the border, with one group travelling to Hanoi while the others heading to Ho Chi Minh City for their respective events.

Touch Sopheak is optimistic of a good show from athletes at the tournament. "We hope to do well in this competition," he said. "Our athletes have been training hard, so we are hoping to win in some of the events."

Cambodia's King Confirmed To Attend Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony

PHNOM PENH, July 10 (Bernama) -- King of Cambodia has confirmed his presence at the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games, China's Xinhua news agency reported Thursday.

"Our King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games to share the joy of the Chinese people," said Hor Namhong, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

The FM also highly praised the preparation having been done for the Beijing Olympic Games in a recent written interview with Xinhua, saying it's impressive thanks to the utmost efforts of the whole Chinese nation.

"There is no doubt that the event will be a great achievement and success of the Chinese people, in spite of certain disruptive incidents in some areas and countries affecting the organisation of the Olympic Games," he said.

The FM continued that a successful hosting of the Olympics this year will elevate the prestige of China worldwide and also give a sense of great pride not only to the Chinese people, but also other peoples of the whole East Asian region.

"Chinese athletes will certainly bring China many gold medals," he added.

Meanwhile, he said in the interview that the Cambodian people are very happy that the Olympic Games in Beijing coincides with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cambodia and China.

According to an official statement, Cambodia will send a 15-member delegation to participate in the Beijing Olympics. Four Cambodian athletes will join races of marathon and swimming.

Each of the 6 Cambodian athletes for the Olympic receives $200, how much will Thong Khon spend for himself for his trip to Beijing?

Thong Khon (Photo: AFP)

Minister gives each Cambodian Olympic Games candidate $200

PHNOM PENH, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Tourism Minister and National Olympic Committee (NOCC) President Thong Khon has donated200 U.S. dollars for each of the six Cambodian athletes and trainers heading for the Beijing Olympics in August, national media said Wednesday.

"I just visited them and offered them my personal money," he said, adding that he had asked the committee to raise the stipend for Cambodia's Olympic hopefuls, which is currently set at 50 U.S. dollars each athlete per month for three months prior to the games.

The minister confirmed that Cambodia receives annual funding from the International Olympic committee in Switzerland, but no member of NOCC could tell the amount and spending situation of the funding, reported English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodian Daily.

Cambodia's two Olympic track and field athletes said last week they had been preparing for the games with little to no support from NOCC.

Cambodia will send a 15-member delegation to participate in the Olympic Games in Beijing in August with focus on swimming and marathon medals. The team will include Thong Khon himself, who will depart for Beijing on August 7

King Norodom Sihamoni and Education Minister Kol Pheng also plan to attend the opening ceremony of the games.

It is not the first time Cambodia has sent athletes to the Olympics.

The first post-war delegation of five Khmers competed in the Atlanta Games in 1996, and Cambodia subsequently sent four athletes to both Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.