Phnom Penh, Cambodia, December 22, 2021: The Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, Vath Chamroeun, describes it as “a dream come true” that the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games are coming to the Kingdom of Wonder in 2023.
With the official inauguration of the 60,000-seat Morodok Techo National Stadium last weekend by Prime Minister Hun Sen, excitement is building in Cambodia for the 32nd SEA Games in May 2023 – the first time the country will have hosted the 11-nation regional sports festival.
Cambodia was one of the six founding members of the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games Federation, the forerunner to the current regional sports body, and the Kingdom was due to host the third Games in 1963 before they were cancelled due to the political situation.
With the Kingdom now enjoying stability and rapid development, “Sport: Live In Peace” was chosen as the slogan for the 2023 SEA Games to highlight how peace has been crucial for the Kingdom’s remarkable transformation.
In an interview with the Phnom Penh Post, Vath hailed the huge importance of Cambodia finally hosting the event 60 years later.
“The government’s focus had been on developing other key sectors such as education and health. But recently it was felt the time was right, and it was announced, at the SEA Games Federation Council meeting in Singapore in 2015, that we would indeed host the SEA Games.
“By hosting these Games, it really awakens in people the importance of sport in developing a nation’s society and its economy, and what sport means for the legacy of a country.
“We have been waiting 64 years since becoming one of the six founding members of the regional sports body in 1959, so to finally have the chance to host the SEA Games is a dream come true, for me and for Cambodia,” said Chamroeun.
The 31st SEA Games are due to be held in Hanoi in May 2022, with the 32nd edition in Cambodia set to attract 8,000 athletes in 40 sports. More than 2,000 para-athletes will compete in the 12th ASEAN Para Games later in the year.
“For me, it has been a long-held dream to host the SEA Games. For smaller sporting countries like Cambodia, the way to really develop sport is to host events like the SEA Games," he added.
“As a sportsman, I fully appreciate the value of sport and the benefits it brings to society, as well as the importance of hosting the Games in helping secure a bright future for the Kingdom’s sporting scene.”
Source: https://www.phnompenhpost.com