Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), has acknowledged that Team Cambodia’s performance at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China was sub-par. The team returned to the Kingdom with a single bronze medal, contrary to their performances at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games when Cambodian athletes earned at least one gold at both events. The 19th Asian Games kicked off on September 19 and concluded on October 8, with elite athletes from 45 countries taking part. The only medal winning performance produced by Cambodia came from the karate team, who secured bronze in the…
Author: Chhorn Norn
Young boxer Sot Sokhim is reinforcing the reputation of his family, using his exceptional skills to defeat such formidable opponents as Khem Chan and Norng Sao on the way to clinching the trophy and the 2 million riel ($500) prize at a recent Kun Khmer marathon event. In an intense three-round kickboxing match in the 57kg category, the 18-year-old triumphed over Sao in the qualifiers, before going on to defeat Chan – a former SEA Games bronze medallist – to take the championship title. Sokhim’s success at the Krud Kun Khmer Marathon event – held at the Television of Cambodia…
Japanese-born mid-fielder Yudai Ogawa has become the first naturalised Cambodian citizen to play for the national football team. He has been residing and playing professionally in the Kingdom for five years. Under the terms established by FIFA in 2008, anyone who has resided in a country or territory for at least five years since the age of 18 is eligible for selection. Former national assistant coach Phea Sopheaktra said the idea of selecting foreign-born players for the national team was first mooted by former general manager of team Cambodia, retired Japanese star Keisuke Honda. “Ogawa’s decision to join the national…
Led by SEA Games gold medallist jet ski racer Sali Umet, the Cambodian jet ski team claimed four gold, four silver and one bronze medal at round three of the WGP#1 World Series 2023 in Lake Havscu City in the US state of Arizona. Umet called the result a breakthrough performance for the Kingdom’s jet skiers, noting that the number of elite Cambodian athletes in the sport has increased. Previously, only Umet and Min Mustan had taken medals in US competitions. “Our riders have won four gold, four silvers and one bronze. These victories have set a new record, and…
Team Cambodia has formally completed their mission at the 19th Asian Games in China, with the athletes returning home with a single bronze medal. The Chinese hosts broke the gold medal record, claiming an astonishing 201 gold at the largest sporting event in Asia. The competition – held in Hangzhou, a major Chinese economic hub in Zhejiang province – began on September 23 and ended on October 7. The Kingdom’s sole moment on the podium came on the final day of competition, when the Karate exponent trio of That Chheng Horng, Oun Sreyda and Puthea Sreynuch claimed third place in…
Five of the Kingdom’s strongest Kun Khmer exponents – Pich Sambath, Pich Bunsith, Lon Panha , Amarin Phuthong and Koeum Sovankhy – are currently applying for Australian visas. The five are scheduled to take part in a combination of international friendly matches and title fights at an early November event. The competition is being staged by the recently licensed Kun Khmer Super Fight club, which was established to train fighters and send them abroad to compete. The club’s Nou Pov explained that even before they were licensed, Super Fight has sent boxers to several tournaments in Thailand. It also worked…
The inaugural Diplomacy-Business Friendship Golf Tournament – an initiative of Cambodia’s foreign ministry – was held on October 3, with the aim of strengthening relations between all governments whose diplomats are serving in the Kingdom. The event took place at the Garden City Golf Club in Phnom Penh’s Chroy Changvar district with over 70 participants, most of them diplomats to Cambodia. Among the entrants were US ambassador W Patrick Murphy and Japanese ambassador Atsushi Ueno. The event was initiated as an evolution of former foreign minister Prak Sokhonn’s success in establishing “traditional, economic and food diplomacy”, according to a press…
Prey Veng town and province was the scene of one leg of a global initiative on October 1, when approximately 500 participants took part in TAFISA World Walking Day – 24-hours Around the Globe. TAFISA – The Association For International Sport For All – is a Swiss-based multinational organisation which partners several institutions – including the UN and the International Olympic Committee (OIC) – to promote the importance of physical activity around the world. The event was attended by Prey Veng lawmaker Ouk Sethycheat and provincial governor Sourn Somalin. It featured a 1,500m walk, followed by numerous other games and…
Three prominent Cambodian Kun Khmer fighters – Thoeun Theara, Phal Sophorn and Roeung Sophorn – all claimed International Professional Combat Council (IPCC) world titles at the September 30 octagonal ring event at Town Arena, although popular Kun Khmer exponent Prum Samnang failed to secure a win in his match. Theara and Samnang were matched to foreign pugilists, and fought for IPCC Kun Khmer Intercontinental belts. Theara secured his first IPCC title, defeating three time champion Sabri Benhyena of Tunisia. Benhyena was forced to accept two standing counts from the referee, after a flurry of clean punches by Theara. “I tried…
Jessa Khan, the renowned American-born Cambodian jiu-jitsu star, failed in her quest to make history during the “One Fight Night 14”, losing to her long-time rival American Danielle Kelly on September 30, in Singapore. The bout, for the One Championship Atomweight Submission Grappling World Title, was Khan’s first appearance at a One Championship event. Khan, one of the Kingdom’s most popular athletes, who claimed gold for Cambodia at the ASIAN Games and SEA Games, accepted fault for the loss. Posting on her Instagram, Jessa said: “I know my jiu-jitsu is better, she just had a good strategy keeping me pinned…