Phnom Penh, Cambodia, October 2, 2022: Teenager Hong Siumey and her friends from Kurmul International School in Phnom Penh turned up at the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run early on Sunday morning, October 2, to show their support not only for the Asian showpiece but also for the Southeast Asian Games which Cambodia will host next year.
“This is our way of backing our country as we look forward to our athletes taking part at the Asian Games in China next year as well as the SEA Games which we will be hosting for the first time in our history. And we have named our group of runners as ‘SuSu’ which in our language means ‘keep going’,” explained Hong.
A huge crowd had gathered for the first overseas Fun Run for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games which took place on the streets bordering the banks of the mighty Mekong River which runs through the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh.
Joining 17-year-old high school student Hong were a crowd of dignitaries including Vice Mayor of Hangzhou Chen Weiqiang, and presidents and secretary generals from a number of Asian National Olympic Committees who had arrived for the 41st OCA General Assembly on October 3-4.
Chen, who is also the Deputy Secretary General of HAGOC (Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee), fired the starter’s pistol as the crowd of more than 800 participants, half of them school children, ran in the five and three kilometre races.
“On behalf of HAGOC, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Olympic Council of Asia, the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia and all other NOCs that have been supporting the Hangzhou Asian Games,” Vice Mayor Chen said.
“As an Asian Games tradition, the fun run is an internationally-participated key event. It attracts thousands of people from across Asia, promoting people-to-people bonds and the Olympic Movement in our region. This fun run in Cambodia is a warm-up for the Hangzhou Asian Games, and I believe it will boost greater friendship among our people,” Chen noted.
The OCA had a strong representation in the first overseas Fun Run for the Hangzhou Asian Games with Vinod Tiwari, Director of International and NOC Relations, Tony Tarraf, Head of Athletes Development Department & Special Projects, and Wissam Trkmani, Projects and Administration Affairs Manager, all taking part.
“This is just the beginning, the first fun run outside China, and we will be having similar events across Asia in the lead-up to the Hangzhou Asian Games. Thank you for coming,” Tiwari wished all the participants lined up for the race.
Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the Cambodian NOC, who also ran, exhorted the crowd by asking them “are you ready?” to which he got a resounding “yes”.
Vath, who represented Cambodia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in wrestling, added: “This run is for the Hangzhou Asian Games and for peace in Cambodia.”
Hong and her SuSu teammates cheered lustily. They want Cambodia to keep going.
