Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 30, 2023: Cambodia is determined to build on the successful hosting of the South East Asian Games earlier this year by making their mark at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
The Kingdom of Wonder finished fourth of 11 nations in the 32nd SEA Games from May 5-17 in Phnom Penh, winning 81 gold medals, 74 silver and 127 bronze for a total of 282.
A big part of this success was down to a large group of Cambodian athletes in several sports undergoing tough training in China in the months leading up to the SEA Games.
Now, Cambodian sports authorities are doing the same ahead of the 19th Asian Games, which will run from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou, China and five co-host cities.
Earlier this month, Cambodia sent 136 athletes from 11 sports to train in China in preparation for the 19th Asian Games.
The three-month training camp will include one month of final preparation for the Asian Games, followed by further intensive training throughout October and November.
The team is divided into three groups which will train separately in different provinces in China.
Vath Chamroeun, Secretary-General of the National Olympics Committee of Cambodia and recently promoted to a Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, said in a meeting with athletes that China would provide strong support for Cambodian athletes following the 32nd SEA Games, with the Chinese government providing accommodation, food, training and other basic needs for three months.
Vath added that there were two main reasons for sending the athletes to China - to train participants for the Asian Games and prepare them for the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025.
Cambodia will also join the Asian Youth Games in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in 2025 before hosting the AYG for the first time in 2029, giving their youth much to aim for in the coming years.
Cambodian athletes will receive intense training with support from Chinese instructors who are experts in many sports, especially athletics.