The Cambodian National Police team achieved an impressive result at the just wrapped up 21st World Police and Fire Games 2025, held in Birmingham, Alabama, the US, from June 27 to July 6.
They captured 62 medals, including 22 gold, 22 silver and 18 bronze across 9 different sports disciplines.
Despite intense competition, the Ministry of Interior’s police officers won medals in every sport they participated in. The jiu-jitsu team led the medal count with 8 gold and 4 silver, followed by the badminton team, which earned 3 gold and 2 bronze.
The arm wrestling and powerlifting team ranked third, collecting 2 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze, followed by the judo exponents with 2 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. ]
The karate and swimming teams each earned 2 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze.
The table tennis team won 2 gold and 1 bronze, while the volleyball team earned a gold in beach volleyball and a silver in indoor volleyball. The taekwondo WT team brought home 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.
The impressive haul demonstrated the commitment and effort of Cambodia’s police athletes, who raised the Kingdom’s reputation on the international stage.
Although this year’s medal count was slightly lower than the 2023 edition (where Cambodia won 33 gold, 29 silver and 9 bronze — a total of 71 medals), it’s worth noting that in 2023, Cambodia competed in 12 sports, compared to just 9 in 2025.
Sok Vorleak, a swimmer who won 4 gold and 1 silver at the 2023 Games in Canada, noted that the 2025 competition was much tougher. This year, she won 2 medals in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, but missed out in the 100m freestyle, finishing 4th.
“The competition in the US was much tougher than in Canada. I faced stronger opponents. Winning medals here was very competitive, so I’m happy I could still win gold in my specialty, the 50m and 100m breaststroke. Unfortunately, I only placed 4th in the 100m freestyle,” she said, via the interior ministry sports council.
Tep Chanmara, a badminton player who won gold in both singles and doubles, considered the team 3 gold and 2 bronze a major achievement. He noted challenges related to match timing (nighttime matches), the court surface (rubber in the US vs. tarpaulin in Cambodia), air conditioning and the shuttlecock type (heavier and thicker in the US compared to lighter ones used in Cambodia).
“We won the doubles gold in Canada, and this time we were able to defend our title after competing against teams from six countries. This year’s tournament was more difficult in terms of scheduling, venue and equipment, but winning the gold again is a new accomplishment and a reaffirmation of our championship status,” he said.
