The Cambodian dragon boat team, consisting of six male athletes, six female athletes, two coaches and the delegation leader, departed for China yesterday, August 6, to take part in the 2025 World Games, which will run from August 7 to 17.
The games will host athletes from 118 countries competing in 34 sports, with 12 countries qualifying to compete in dragon boat racing. The 12 earned their places after qualifying events held in the Philippines in 2024, where Cambodia’s dragon boat team placed 9th.
Speaking at Phnom Penh International Airport on Wednesday, coach Kong Sopheap noted that all 12 teams in the competition are strong, having already proven themselves in the qualifiers. He identified Indonesia and host nation China as the main obstacles to Cambodia’s chances of winning medals.
However, he added that since qualifying in the Philippines, the Cambodian team has focused heavily on training, with strong discipline and close monitoring of both male and female paddlers. He emphasised that the athletes have been working very hard, and based on testing and evaluations, he believes they are performing at a high level.
“We have observed that our athletes are putting in maximum effort during training, and we hope they will perform well. We firmly believe that through training and testing, we’ve assessed our progress because in this sport, dragon boat racing, it’s all about timing,” he said.
“Based on the recent test results, our team has reached a level that could earn medals. We are optimistic that we will be contenders at this year’s World Games,” he added.
This year’s competition will include six classes, each for teams of 8 and 12 paddlers. They include 200, 500 and 2,000-metre distances.
The Cambodian team is most hopeful in the 2,000-metre events for both 8- and 12-person teams, and believe they have a strong chance of medalling.
