Phnom Penh: Prime Minister Hun Sen urged the athletes who will participate in the 2022 SEA Games to respect the rules and avoid the use of drugs or doping to protect the country's dignity.

Speaking at a meeting with more than 600 sports delegates to the 31st SEA Games in 2022 in Vietnam at the Koh Pich Theater, Prime Minister Hun Sen warned that the use of enhancing drugs in sports will intentionally affect the image of the nation and must not happen “at all cost”.

The Prime Minister said: "You must know that going to the game is with the Cambodian flag. So know that with you, the King, the Executives, the legislature, and more than 16 million people are with you."

The Prime Minister also told the athletes who go to the competition to respect the rules and regulations consistently.

A total of 560 Cambodian athletes will compete in the 2022 SEA Games in Vietnam including 45 sports leaders and officials, 363 athletes, 93 coaches and assistant coaches, 16 international referees, 22 team leaders, and 21 doctors.

^{PHOTO: EAC NEWS}