PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has a message for all disabled athletes competing in the 12th ASEAN Para Games: win or lose, do not be discouraged.

At a graduation ceremony of nearly 6,000 students of the Royal University of Law and Economics on the morning of June 5, he said, “Do not be discouraged. In sports there are winners and losers, but the most important thing is to be a good host and represent the 17 million people behind the scenes in a positive light.”

He advised Cambodian athletes to continue their efforts. "It doesn’t matter how high Cambodia ranks [in the medal tally], the big thing for Cambodia is to organize a tournament that guarantees the unity of the 600 million ASEAN people," he said.

The PM estimates that Cambodia can win up to eight gold medals in the 2023 Para Games. He specifically praised the blind football players for their ability to score despite their setbacks.

As of this morning, Cambodia ranked eighth in the medal tally with a total of 11 medals: two gold, four silver and five bronze medals. Indonesia ranked first with 89 medals total.