The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, with the formal approval of the Royal Government of Cambodia, has officially confirmed that Cambodia will host the 23rd ASEAN University Games (AUG) in 2028, as part of the Kingdom’s scheduled hosting rotation. This was confirmed by ministry secretary of state Vath Chamroeun.
During a July 31 meeting at the National Sports Training Center, Chamroeun shared that education minister Hang Chuon Naron had formally requested that the government grant Cambodia the right to host the 2028 games.
“It’s Cambodia’s turn to host, and the government has granted the ministry permission to organise the event, which involves university students from all 11 ASEAN countries. Today marks our first meeting after receiving the green light, to begin drafting a master plan and establishing a special working group to prepare for the event,” he said.
The working group will study all relevant documents and regulations — both international and from the ASEAN University Sports Council — and will coordinate closely with the Cambodian Student Sports Federation and other stakeholders.
“We are forming a technical team to analyse all of the materials and key principles,” added Chamroeun.
Although the ASEAN University Games will feature competitions in around 20 sports, it will be smaller in scope than the 32nd SEA Games that Cambodia hosted in 2023 — a historic success for the Kingdom.
“As hosts, we must carry out our work with order and maintain the honour and reputation we earned from successfully hosting the SEA Games in 2023,” noted Chamroeun.
He explained that the education minister has personally laid out a clear and visionary direction, empowering officials to prepare thoroughly in all aspects for this major sporting event.
Chamroeun, who also serves as secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), stressed that University Games will also serve as a stepping stone and test run for Cambodia’s hosting of the Asian Youth Games in 2029.
“This will help us prepare for the 2029 Asian Youth Games. It is also an election year, so we need to coordinate scheduling and events properly to avoid overlap with major national events,” he said.
“We must gather all the necessary elements, including infrastructure management, through the education ministry and with coordination from national sports federations. Today, we’ve approved the creation of a special working group and the start of a comprehensive situational analysis, which will be included in our master plan. We are ready to follow through with all scheduled tasks,” he added.
He confirmed that many more meetings will take place to ensure Cambodia is well prepared and will achieve success in hosting the 2028 University Games.
