Prime Minister Hun Sen will declare open today Cambodia’s first FINA-standard swimming pool and diving facility outside Phnom Penh in Kampong Cham city, creating an infrastructure boost for aquatics training and competition.

Built at a cost of slightly over $2 million, the 50m pool and diving platform facility has been named the Techo Hun Sen Swimming Complex.

At the time of his death, Hem Thon had been serving his first term as the deputy secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee and had been actively involved in the construction phase of the pools Kampong Cham and Kampot.

Hem Thon was one of the founders of the swimming Federation in 1983 and served as its secretary-general for the next 32 years.

“Hem Thon was one of Cambodia’s highly regarded and most successful competitive swimmers in the decade between the Indepedence and the Khmer Rouge era. He was very passionate in his involvement with this project in Kampong Cham,” NOCC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun said.

In an interview with the Post barely a month before his death, Hem Thon spoke with great pride about the Kampong Cham centre, emphasising how well it would help swimmers and divers to prepare for major events in the best of conditions.