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 women’s kata demonstration.
The Kingdom failed to earn a podium finish in any of the other 16 sports it contested.
“The Asian Games are a world-class tournament. Many large countries with very competitive sports programmes take part in the games, and unfortunately, our level of ability does not yet reach theirs,” said Chamroeun on October 9, as he arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport.
“We are very much a regional level team, and at a world-class tournament, we were unable to secure good results. We could not break our previous record – of two gold and one bronze – from the 2018 games, as this time we only received a single bronze,” he added.
He explained that one of the reasons Cambodia was unable to claim gold was because Cambodian-American ju-jitsu superstar Jessa Khan and jet ski racing ace Sali Umet – who both won gold at the 2018 Asian Games – did not take part in the tournament. Taekwondo legend Sorn Seavmey, who won gold at the 2014 event, retired after her victory at home in the 2023 SEA Games.
In addition, he believed the 2023 Asian Games were the most competitive yet.
As several Cambodian sportspeople have made good progress while training in China, Cambodia has requested that the Chinese continue to provide scholarships for its athletes to train there, in preparation for the 33rd SEA Games, scheduled to be hosted by Thailand in 2025, and the 2029 Asian Youth Games, which Cambodia will host.
“We will continue to encourage those who are training in China, and will also examine the way we train here in Cambodia. Suring the Asian Games, we met with the Chinese Central Sports Administration to discuss scholarship and grants for our athletes to train in China next year,” said Chamroeun.
He added that officials have been in talks with the Japanese about strengthening the Kingdom’s sports science sector.
“We are working with the Japanese, who are preparing to host the 2026 Asian Games. We have requested that they help us to develop our sports science capabilities, as it is essential to improving out training facilities. We need to build a foundational sports science capacity if we want to maintain growth,” he explained.
