Visitors to the Olympic Stadium have been hit by a raft of motorbike and bicycle thefts this year, according to sports officials who work in the grounds.

An employee at the National Sports Complex for over 40 years, who spoke to the Post on condition of anonymity, said the problem was not a new issue, but that cases of theft had increased significantly since the beginning of 2014.

“I’ve never seen [so many cases] before,” he said, while hinting that robbers were not from far away but living locally.

A Post sports reporter, who also declined to be named, recently had his black Honda Wave motorbike stolen when he was conducting a ten-minute interview with the general secretary of the Cambodian Table Tennis Federation at their head office.

An official of the Football Federation of Cambodia also fell victim to motorbike thieves during a Metfone C-League game on May 31.

Education, Youth and Sport Minister Ouk Sethycheat told the Post that robberies occurred due to incorrect parking by individuals.

“We’ve got a ticketed parking lot, but probably vehicle owners mind spending 500 to 1,000 riel [US$0.12 to $0.25] for parking. It's hard to control these situations,” he said.