Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 7, 2023: There were celebrations in the local sports community in Cambodia even before the 32nd SEA Games got underway on Friday, May 5.
This was because, on the previous day, the South East Asian Games Federation had added four sports to the Category III list of sports to be considered for every SEA Games – and one of them was Kun Bokator.
Although the long list of Category III sports runs to 21, with only a maximum of four being allowed into each future SEA Games, at least Cambodia’s ancient martial art now has a chance to build popularity and develop across the region.
“This is our tradition and our culture and we want to show Kun Bokator to the world,” said spectator Kim Poleak, who had brought his wife, five children and other family to watch the action at the Chroy Changvar Convention Centre in Phnom Penh on Sunday afternoon.
“The most important thing is that it has made it on to the list of the SEA Games Federation, so this means other countries have the chance to see our original fighting. It is also used in the Cambodian military and is very meaningful for the people.”
For Kim Poleak, a youthful 40 years old, Kun Bokator is the heart and soul of the Khmer culture.
“The fact that Kun Bokator is being played at the SEA Games in Cambodia means that our ancestors are represented here. Imagine our ancestors are sitting here and watching with us. This is a gift to our King,” he said.
The exhibition hall within the Convention Centre was noisy with drums and music from a group of five musicians, while the crowd – seated on three sides of the arena – were in a festive mood to celebrate their own special sport. The instrument that provided the most hypnotic backdrop was the deep resonance of the Khmer flute.
“Normally, this kind of flute is only played at funerals. In Kun Bokator it tells the fighters that they must be ready,” added Kim Poleak.
Kun Bokator certainly calls on its rich heritage to produce quite a spectacle, with the fighters exchanging headbands for headguards as they enter the circle and performing sweeping, extravagant warm-up moves before the first of three, three-minute rounds.
With boxing-style punching, kicking-style taekwondo, wrestling-style takedowns and judo-style leg sweeps, Kun Bokator resembles an ancient form of Mixed Martial Arts – although the action stops as soon as one fighter hits the deck.
Cambodia’s Leang Sreynith, 21, was one of the local heroes on Sunday, winning her female combat 45kg fight against Miftahul Jannah (Indonesia).
“I am so proud and excited to be competing in the SEA Games in front of the Cambodian people and in our own Cambodian sport of Kun Bokator,” she said. “The support and cheers of the spectators really lifted me up.”
Sreynith, who is from Prey Veng Province near the Vietnam border, said she took up Kun Bokator in 2019 after watching the actress Chan Tha in a movie. “I loved it from the first moment I saw it in the movie so I took up the sport four years ago,” she said.
Asked if she thought of the dangers with the fierce and explosive exchanges of kicks and punches, she replied: “I am not afraid. I want to show the strength of women in the SEA Games.”
