Rewards Await Numerous Beach Games Medalists

[geovalin]

Cambodian athletes and their coaches returned home on Tuesday from a highly successful Vietnam sojourn at the 5th Asian Beach Games hosted in Danang, Vietnam which concluded on Monday.  With a haul of 21 medals, Cambodia ranked sixth among 41 participating nations. The competition showcased 14 sporting disciplines with Cambodian athletes representing the nation in five – Vovinam, Labokator, wrestling, beach volleyball and petanque.
 

Nevertheless, despite 2,197 other athletes battling for silverware, Cambodia grabbed a total of 21 medals – six gold medals, six silver medals and nine bronze medals. Traditional powerhouse Thailand was first in the rankings, claiming 139 medals spread over 59 gold, 44 silver and 43 bronze.  The impressive performance on the international stage is set to net Cambodian athletes a total of nearly $600,000 thanks to government incentives on offer to athletes representing the Kingdom in international competition. 
 

The Asian Beach Games is one of the region’s largest sporting events and is organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Holding its first event in Bali, Indonesia, in 2008, and previously held biannually, it was recently revealed the competition will now take place every four years, with the next tournament in 2020. Cambodia, India, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have all expressed interest in hosting the 2020 games.  Secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia Vath Chamroeun entertained the idea, remarking: “For the next Beach Games, we want Cambodia to host the event, because Cambodia has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.
 

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/30424/rewards-await-beach-games-medalists/

 

 

-- © Copyright Khmer Times 06/10