S.E.R.C Reports: 90% Recovery of CIC Assets | APSARA Authority Provides Traditional Khmer House Designs to Angkor Residents | Kratie Province Celebrated as Cambodia's 15th Mine-Free Region | Hun Sen Set to Participate in Boao Forum in China |

ASEAN Para Games Flag Arrives in Cambodia with Players Ready for Next Year's Games

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s ASEAN Para Games athletes, along with the ASEAN Para Games flag, arrived at Phnom Penh International Airport on Sunday afternoon, 7 August, with a warm welcome from Defense Minister and President of the Cambodian SEA Games Organizing Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Tea Banh.

The Cambodian national representative, Hun Many, exited the special plane for the Para Games athletes, holding the ASEAN Para Sports Federation flag high in the air, allowing it to flutter in the wind at Phnom Penh International Airport. This flag’s arrival officially signifies Cambodia’s turn to host the ASEAN Para Games next year.

The President of Cambodian SEA Games Organizing Committee (CAMSOC), DPM Tea Banh, welcomed the returning Cambodian athletes and congratulated them on receiving the ASEAN Para Games flag.

"I would like to inform you that from the very first minute we were very proud and excited that our flag was hoisted in Solo, Indonesia," said DPM Tea Banh. "And our athletes with disabilities started this important sporting event, [making us] so very proud of our motherland. [There is] progress in all areas. Our sport has gradually risen and so far brought great pride to our nation."

Along with the pride of hosting the next ASEAN Para Games, Cambodian Para Games athletes also broke the national record for most medals ever won with 28 medals, which is 19 more than the previous national record achieved at the 2013 Para Games in Myanmar. This year therefore marked another huge milestone in the history of Cambodia’s participation in the Para Games.

The Royal Government organized a grand parade for all the returning athletes, which included a parade through Phnom Penh, across the Russian Federation Boulevard, past the Independence Monument, all the way to the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia near the National Olympic Stadium. All the while large groups of people stood by the sides of the road cheering on the athletes as they drove past, while waving Cambodian flags.

The sound of medals clashing together echoed through the conference room of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, indicating that some athletes had won more than one medal and were sporting them proudly around their necks.

The Secretary-General of the National Paralympic Committee of Cambodia, Yi Veasna, said that he was happy with the results achieved by the Cambodian athletes, making Cambodia rank seventh in the region in terms of most medals won.

"Cambodia is very proud, this is the first experience after Covid-19, the games were missed in the Philippines and Vietnam did not accept [to host it], so Indonesia gave Cambodia an important opportunity to capitalize on organizing our event in 2023, hosted by Cambodia," said Yi Veasna.

Sitting volleyball winner, Ou Phalla, said this was the third time he had won a medal and the first time he had won a gold medal after beating Thailand 3-2.

"I was very excited, before I won silver and bronze, but now I am very excited about gold," he said.

36-year-old wheelchair racer, Van Vorn, considered one of the best players in Cambodia, brought back three medals.

"Before I was in the T53, my ability was good, but now my greatest achievement is that I have reached the T54, the strongest wheelchair racer, and I still have gold and silver medals," he said. "That means my efforts are highly successful. When I was T53, when I competed in Myanmar, I won the individual category, I won the 100m, the 200m, and the 400m, with a gold medal, and the sprint, with two people for the 400m, we received the silver, and the 400m with four players, we also got silver.”

Vid Chantha, who won two gold medals in long jump, and a silver medal in the sprint, said this was the second time she had won a medal at the games. She explained that she got the gold medal by training with her opponents’ records as her base.

"When I went to Singapore for the first time, as an experience, I did not receive a medal because it was new to me, I did not know much about my competitors," she said.

"But when I came to Malaysia for the second time, I knew what they had and knew their records. So when I came back, I trained hard to break their records, I knew I would be successful, and that is why I trained hard when I went to Malaysia, which made me successful. When I was in Indonesia, because I used to be in the second and third place, I tried to break my old record, if I broke it well, I could reach the podium again. That's why I was able to break the old record, so I succeeded and won this gold medal.”

She also said that her husband, Bong Hong, who is also a sprinter, also won a bronze medal at this year’s Games, something which he said he was very happy about.

The 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia will officially open on 5 May and close on 17 May. The ASEAN Para Games will then start on 3 June and close on 9 June 2023.

The Cambodian national para games team has shown great determination to continue winning medals when the Kingdom hosts next year's tournament.

"I am determined to win more medals, but my partner is also strong. I am determined to keep trying," said Vid Chantha.

PHOTO: SOVANNARA


Related News