The one-day annual General Assembly of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia concluded at its headquarters yesterday, with the Kingdom’s prime sports body unveiling an ambitious four-year plan that set specific targets of success in regional and international events up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The president of the NOCC, Dr Thong Khon, who presided over the assembly, characterised the plan as the country’s grand vision of the future and called upon federations to do their best to bring about positive change.

A short video clip highlighting the successes of the 2010-13 plan led the way to a detailed discussion on the next as the assembly dealt with the routine business of approving the yearly finance report before taking up reports from the Women and Sport Commission as well as the Medical Commission.

The NOCC has meticulously drawn up a long-term strategy it calls Grand Vision 2020 to get Cambodian performances peaking in time for the Tokyo Olympics.

Buoyed by the success of the 2013-17 plan under which Cambodia achieved all the major goals it had set out, including the first-ever gold medal in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games and 2016 Rio Olympic qualification through taekwondo star Sorn Seavmey, the current road map will have five specific targets.

Top of the wish list is the retention of an Asian Games gold medal while pushing hard for more, achieving at least three Olympic qualification marks in combat sports like taekwondo, wu shu and karate, maximising medal returns from this year’s SEA Games in Malaysia and vigorously pursuing the One Person-One Sport and One Sport-One Sponsor policies.

The Assembly also discussed a report submitted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport regarding the inaugural National Games held late last year and decided to act on several recommendations to improve the second edition.

“We have now taken up the enormous task of solving major problems that federations face. That is the reason why we invited them this year to air their grievances so that we can refer them to the SEA Games Committee for redressal,” NOCC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun said.

Under the Tokyo 2020 plan, the NOCC will be targeting at least three Olympic qualifications in combat sports besides seeking the defence of the Incheon Asian Games gold won by Sorn Seavmey in 2014.

Timely completion of ongoing infrastructure projects, the development of human resources and a pivot towards quality training for athletes are among the other priorities listed by the NOCC.