The SEA Table Tennis Championship will be held here next week

Photo by: Sovan Philong

A young Cambodian practices Tuesday ahead of the SEA Table Tennis Championship.

Photo by: Sovan Philong

Table Tennis Federation Secretary General Sun Sothearith hopes for medals this year.

Phnom Penh’s National Sports Centre will host the 16th SEA Table Tennis Championship from June 3-7. This will be the first time Cambodia has hosted the annual event which was held last year in neighboring Thailand.

Eight countries are expected to take part in the competition, including Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and hosts Cambodia, with a total of around 120 players competing.

Sun Sothearith, secretary general of the Cambodian Table Tennis Federation, expressed their excitement at the opportunity to hold the regional championship in the Kingdom, and hoped the home advantage would help them gain success after returning last year without a single medal.

According to the secretary, the tournament will feature men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed teams for U18s, and U15s. The Cambodian team will field 13 males and 2 females.

Sun Sothearith is optimistic that the Kingdom will better their performance at the previous tournament, singling out the trio of 16-year-old Tang Hav, 15-year-old Nay Sarai, and 18-year-old Chea Thy as their best chance of success. “Our athletes have been training in Hanoi for the past month and are now in good shape,” assured the secretary.