PHNOM PENH: Fifteen Cambodian wheelchair basketball players will attend a one-week JENESYS youth exchange program in Japan from 15-20 February 2023 to train with the Japanese team, exchange experiences and share culture between the two countries.

The Japanese Embassy in Cambodia, along with the Cambodian Wheelchair Basketball Federation, jointly organized a farewell ceremony for 15 Cambodian wheelchair basketball athletes who are participating in the JENESYS 2022 Youth Exchange Program in Japan.

The new Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, Ueno Atsushi, said the visit would provide an opportunity for players to strengthen their wheelchair basketball skills and gain a deeper understanding of the country and Japanese culture.

He said he hopes that through this visit to Japan, the Cambodian team will be able to use the experience gained to achieve good results in the upcoming ASEAN Para Games to be hosted by Cambodia.

“The exchange of sports activities is one of the [ways] we can deepen our relations," he said.

Remarking further on the upcoming SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games the Japanese Ambassador said, “It’s very nice for Cambodia to be able to organize such a big scale sports event, because Cambodia suffered a civil war and a very tough period of peace and rehabilitation, but now Cambodia has developed so far [and] is able to organize such a big scale sports event.”

Ambassador Ueno Atsushi affirmed that he will be happy to promote the Southeast Asian games hosted by Cambodia and will encourage Japanese people to visit the Kingdom during the games.

“I hope the Japanese people will come to know the SEA Games itself [but] also come to Cambodia for sightseeing, so during that occasion, if they are interested in watching the SEA Games, then they are happy [to do so]," he said. "I will make an effort to [advertise] the SEA Games to the Japanese people.”

The First Vice-President of the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA) and President of the Wheelchair Basketball Federation of Cambodia, Senior Minister Ly Thuch, said that the JENESYS youth exchange program will inspire the Cambodian players to become more courageous, and will help to strengthen their confidence.

“The trip to Japan was kindly organized by the Japanese Embassy here in Phnom Penh, and our team will leave Cambodia for Japan on the 14th for a five-day trip," he said. "The trip will provide our team with additional experiences... so that they will be well prepared for the SEA games in May.”

He also gave mention to how Prime Minister Hun Sen has promoted the ASEAN Para Games even despite parasports events being harder to organize logistically.

“Prime Minister Hun Sen is a victim of the war as well, he was injured by the war, he is also the President of the Para Olympic committee in Cambodia and he has been a strong supporter of parasports in the country, and we look forward to bringing more medals to our Prime Minister and our nation as whole," said the Senior Minister.

He further remarked on how Cambodia won the most medals it has at the last SEA Games, and he expects the country’s athletes will win even more at the upcoming games.

“As you have seen, all our champions have been outstanding over the past few competitions in other countries," he said. "We do believe that with experience and high spirt, they will again bring something special to our nation for the upcoming SEA Games.”

Senior Minister Ly Thuch advised the Cambodian wheelchair basketball team to not just bring home the trophy, but also make the people back home feel proud to be Cambodians and to share the joy, love and resilience of the Cambodian people to friends abroad.

Representative for the wheelchair basketball team, Seang Sokchan, said she said she was happy to have the opportunity to exchange experiences with the Japanese team.

"We can also strengthen our capacity, we can [take] our Cambodian civilization and culture to Japan, and Cambodians can come to understand [and learn about] Japanese civilization and culture as well," she said.

Undersecretary of State for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Bou Chum Serey, was also present at the farewell ceremony for the wheelchair basketball team, and confirmed that this is the first time that a team of athletes with disabilities from Cambodia is participating in the JENESYS Youth Exchange Program. He noted that in the past, Japan has also sent a variety of sports teams, youth groups and students to visit Cambodia as well.