Tourism Minister and National Olympic Committee of Cambodia president Thong Khon made an impassioned appeal yesterday to administrators, coaches and competitors to raise the profile of Cambodian sports and work harder in tandem to ensure better results on the international stage.

Yeun Ponlok/Phnom Penh Post

NOCC president Thong Khon wants Cambodia to grab at least 10 golds from the next SEA Games.

Presiding over the day-long NOCC General Assembly at NagaWorld’s hotel ballroom, the minister outlined a four-year plan to augment resources and enhance skills after meticulously running through the Kingdom’s 2011 performances by the sports stock on the domestic and international fronts.

“We have to set our sights high and aim for no less than 10 golds in the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar and redouble our efforts to secure an Asian Games medal that has eluded us for so long,” the NOCC chief told the delegates.

Thong Khon spoke of the introduction of a strategic initiative and a co-ordinated approach, and that idea was firmly backed by NOCC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun during his address.

“Our long-term plan should aim at strengthening our base, core values and administrative competence. To meet this end, harmonisation of various federations is absolutely essential,” Vath Chamroein said.

Laying emphasis on a structured program to train coaches, he said the focus should be to make the  national coaches stronger and sharper soat they could, in turn, pass those traits on to the emerging competitors.

During the business end of yesterday's meeting, the convention voted with an overwhelming majority the adoption of the revised statutes from the International Olympic Committee, which now goes back to the world governing body for final approval.

The assembly also unanimously cleared the 2011 annual report and unaudited financial statement while approving the appointment of Tem Moeun as a new executive member of the NOCC.

The day featured several presentations, the most riveting being British ambassador Mark Gooding’s latest video-laced run on preparations for the London 2012 Olympics.

“We are on time and on budget with less than 200 days to go,” Gooding declared, saying the London Games would be the cleanest and greenest ever.

He described the Olympic site in the East End of London as one of the biggest regeneration projects in Europe, hailing the newly installed Arcelor Mittal Orbit tower, the largest public art work in Britain.

In his presentation, Stefano Podini, a well regarded administrator from Italy who was one of the NOCC’s benefactors last year, touched on his Sports to Schools project now spreading its wings from Phnom Penh to Pailin and Kampong Thom.

Podini’s hobby is collecting original Olympic torches, and he has 29 of them in his private museum, second only to the 35 the IOC has.

Cambodia’s Boxing Federation, Tennis Federation and Football Federation were among those highlighting their activities and programs yesterday.

There was also an offering on the inaugural Sihanoukville Half Marathon on March 10 and 11.

The newly introduced Best Athlete of the Year award expectedly went to Vovinam sensation Ly Boramy, a double gold medallist at the SEA Games in Indonesia.

His team-mate Pal Chhorraksmey, who was equally impressive in her haul of two golds and a silver, was an automatic choice for the best sportswoman.

The Best Footballer award was bagged by talented Preah Khan Reach striker Chan Vattanaka.

Also honoured with a lifetime achievement award was former national team football star of the 1970s Pen Phat.

The prestigious IOC Trophy for outstanding contribution in the field of sports for social responsibility went to Samedy Sivathana, who is an adviser with the National Olympic Committee.