CAmbodia’s medal winning athletes in the recently held 27th SEA Games in Myanmar got fabulous gifts on New Year’s eve from Prime Minister Hun Sen as per his pre-event promise of cash incentives which reflect his personal involvement with and encouragement for the country’s sporting success.

At a glittering function at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia headquarters on Tuesday evening, the Prime Minister’s son Hun Maneth, Deputy Commander of the Land Army, distributed on behalf of his father, cash rewards to the tune of $403,900 to 135 athletes who brought home a record haul of 48 medals including eight golds, 11 silver and 29 bronze medals.

Cambodia’s intake of medals from Myanmar exceeded by nine the previous best total of 39 from Indonesia in 2011. Cambodian grapplers scooped four golds from the mat while Vovinam Warriors hunted two. Petanque and taekwondo returned one gold medal each.

Each gold medallist received $ 5,000 each, while $3,000 and $2,000 went to every silver and bronze medallists respectively. Interestingly, every athlete involved in the medal winning discipline was rewarded.

A keen follower of Cambodian sports like his Father, Hun Maneth spoke passionately about the country’s success in Myanmar, calling on the community to make the best use of the enormous youth potential the country had been blessed with.

“We have come a long way but we have still a long way to go, and I am proud of what we have achieved now and look forward to the day when we host the SEA Games here in Cambodia. We have to start preparing for 2023,” Hun Maneth said.

“We are grateful to the Prime Minister for this grand gesture. The personal interest he takes in Cambodian sports has been a source of great inspiration for all of us,” noted the secretary-general of the NOCC, Vath Chamroeun.

Meanwhile, the medal winners also got to share two individual donations of $10,000 each made by the owner of the Bokor Mountain resort and oil company Sokimex, Sok Kong, and former Phnom Penh governor Kep Chutema.