Led by Minister of Tourism and CAMSOC permanent vice-president Thong Khon, the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC) held a March 4 meeting with Cambodian ambassadors from across South East Asia to discuss the torch lighting ceremony of the upcoming May 32nd SEA Games.
CAMSOC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun said the meeting aimed to organise the torch lighting ceremony in each of the nations in the region where Cambodia maintains an embassy.
“The ambassadors exchanged opinions and provided details of how a ceremony could be conducted in their locales. Thanks to their input, Thong Khon was able to issue recommendations for the torch relay,” he added.
“The ambassadors and their staff will work with the Olympic committees and sports authorities of each of their host countries to plan the relay, which will serve to inspire the SEA Games movement,” he continued.
The relay will follow a torch lighting ceremony in Siem Reap province. King Norodom Sihamoni will light the torch and it will be relayed around the temple of Angkor Wat. On March 22 the torch will begin a relay through all 10 ASEAN nations. It will return to the Kingdom on April 27, which it will embark on a relay tour of the Tonle Sap Lake, prior to arriving at the Morodok Techo National Stadium for the May 5 opening ceremony of the games.
“The torch relay requires the participation of between as many as 500 athletes in each country. Each of our embassies needs to coordinate with local authorities to ensure the events goes smoothly,” said Chamroeun.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence Tea Banh, who also heads CAMSOC, urged members of the public throughout the region to take part in celebrating the passage of the SEA Games torch as it passes through their country.
“We talked a lot about how the relay from Siem Reap will be important reminder of the Kingdom’s hosting of the games. We call on all Cambodians, as well as the people of each of the ASEAN countries, to join in the celebrations. This is the first time we are hosting the games, which makes it an historic event,” added Chamroeun.
