Cambodia will be one of the 40 countries and territories taking part in the 17th Asian Junior Athletics Championships, which kicks off in Vietnam today under the aegis of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA).

The biennial event will take place at the Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City. The previous edition was held in Chinese Taipei.

The Kingdom will be represented by Tot Matlin, Sat Udom and Vong Sophearun in the men’s section, while Duang Srepheap is the lone female runner featured in the sprints, according to Phay Sok, the national coach.

While Matlin lines up for the sprints, Udom will cut a lonely figure in the 400 and 800 metre races. For his part, Sophearun will feature in the 800 metre and 1,500 metre races.

The four-day junior championships will involve up to 700 athletes and coaches competing in 22 disciplines.

Some of the continent’s biggest powers in the world of athletics are expected to take part with China looking to retain its medals supremacy. At the previous games in Chinese Taipei, the most populous nation in the world took 12 gold, 10 silver and two bronze medals.

Indonesia hosted the inaugural championships in 1986 while Vietnam also staged the event in Hanoi in 2010.