Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 28, 2024: For table tennis in Cambodia, the OCA Development Programme for Coaches and Referees is another big step on the road to hosting the biggest sports event in the Kingdom’s history – the Asian Youth Games in 2029.
“I am very happy to be here,” says Bunthong Ngoy, coach of Cambodia’s national table tennis team.
“For me, as a coach, we have to do more to prepare our players for this event in 2029 – the Asian Youth Games. This seminar is all part of this. I am learning more about coaching and getting up to date with training methods and technical skills.”
Cambodia, known as the “Kingdom of Wonder”, hosted the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games for the first time in history last year but the AYG in 2029 will be much bigger, with all 45 National Olympic Committees of the OCA taking part.
“The Asian Youth Games will be very important for Cambodia, not only to promote sport among the people of our country but also to promote Cambodia to everyone visiting from all over Asia,” he added.
“Cambodia depends mainly on tourism so the Asian Youth Games will bring more and more people from different countries. So, the Asian Youth Games will be very important for sports development and also for tourism.”
In the build-up to the 32nd SEA Games last year, Cambodia sent several table tennis players for specialist training in China – the world’s powerhouse in the sport. China also provided the team with a coach.
However, the host country could not win a medal in table tennis, as Singapore (4), Thailand (2) and Vietnam (1) claimed the seven gold medals on offer.
Ngoy, who has been a coach for five years after playing for 10 years, is hoping all that will change at the AYG in 2029.
“We have five years to prepare and already we have identified some young players for training,” he adds.
“They are aged from eight to 10 years old and are part of the team training for the Asian Youth Games. We have older players aged 12 to 15 to help them but this generation will change over the next few years.
“Our hope, of course, is that we will be in a position to challenge for medals in table tennis at the Asian Youth Games in 2029, although we know it will be very difficult to reach that level with China so strong.”
Ngoy, 41, accepts that Cambodia needs help – and hopes that the sports authorities in the Kingdom can arrange for more intensive training camps in other countries, including China, on the long road ahead to the AYG.
