Minister of National Defence Tea Banh said the athletes who returned from April’s 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games with medals were prime examples of the government’s resolute will to promote Cambodian sports in the region and on the international stage.
Tea Banh, who also heads the Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC), presented the medal winners and their coaches with special bonus incentives on December 26, and thanked the sportsmen and sportswomen, their coaches and the officials of their sporting federations for increasing the prestige of the Kingdom.
“Your achievements are a source of pride for all Cambodians. I offer my sincere compliments to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Ministry of Economy and Finance, National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), National Sports Federation, and all of the coaches and athletes for their efforts and commitment to bringing glory to the nation,” he said.
“These outcomes show the government’s resolute will to promote our sportsmen and women in the region and on the international stage,” he added.
Tea Banh reiterated that the national team brought home nine gold, 13 silver and 41 bronze medals from the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam.
He also commended the National Sports Federation, coaches and players for training hard, adding that despite the Covid-19 pandemic, which paralysed the region and the world, Cambodian athletes had persevered and undergone the training they needed to bring home medals.
“These successes show the rapid growth of the Cambodian sports sector, and the increase in the quality of our athletes. In the past few years, we have invested heavily in sports. We have built new sports infrastructure and improved the quality of our coaches, even recruiting foreign specialists when required.
“We have also awarded bonus incentive prizes to all international medallists,” he said.
The defence and education ministries awarded 3.45 billion riel ($841,300) to the 93 athletes and 42 coaching staff who earned medals at the previous games.
Each gold medallist was awarded 40 million riel, with 30 million received by silver medallists. The athletes who claimed bronze each earned 16 million.
Coaches were awarded 100 per cent of the prize money, equal to the highest medal level, while assistant coaches received 70 per cent of the prizes won by their athletes.
The codes which earned this special recognition included kickboxing, petanque, taekwondo (WT), wrestling, vovinam, rowing, jiu-jitsu, wushu, judo, international boxing, gymnastics, karate, indoor volleyball, Kun Khmer boxing and swimming.
Tea Banh urged continued efforts to ensure the 2023 SEA Games, which will be hosted by Cambodia, will be a success.
“For the continued growth of our sporting capabilities – as with the socio-economic growth of the Kingdom – it is necessary for each of us to dedicate all possible resources to making certain that we are able to carry out our respective roles and tasks to the highest standards. We all have important parts to play in the Kingdom’s journey towards an outstanding 32nd SEA Games,” he said.
