The Southeast Asia Games kick off this Friday May 5th, with an opening ceremony held in Phnom Penh’s brand new 60,000 seater Morodok Techo National Stadium. More than 11,000 athletes, coaches and delegates will flock to Cambodia for one of the world’s biggest sporting events
This is the first time Cambodia has hosted the regional event, which is now in its 32nd year. It’s an exciting milestone and an impressive event for the country to celebrate. Schools and universities have even been closed for an entire month, so young people can throw themselves into the spirit of the games. After the bad old years of conflict and instability, it’s also a great opportunity for Hun Sen to present a carefully curated vision of peace and prosperity to the world. The SEA Games could do just that… and just in time for some national elections in July.
From swimming to badminton and from football to Kun Khmer, the wide range of sports offers something for all fans. World-class athletes include Filipino weightlifter Vanessa Sarno and discus thrower James Wong from Singapore. The competition is a big deal for athletes throughout the region, and competitors will do doubt also have their eyes on the Asian Games held in China later this year, as well as next year’s Paris Olympics.
As teams from around the region were greeted by SEA Games volunteers at Pochentong Airport yesterday morning, the excitement was palpable.
“We volunteer because we want to learn something new, to gain knowledge about new countries and new cultures and we are excited because this is the first time that Cambodia hosts this competition,” said Dalin, one of three young female volunteers excitedly waiting for their foreign teams to escort through the country.
Dalin and two other volunteers in Phnom Penh International Airport
Credit: Nathan Paul Southern
Among the athletes arriving in Phnom Penh was Puspa Arumsar, a 30-year-old martial arts champion from Indonesia who is competing in the women’s Pencak Silat competition. Arumsar, who has been training for 11 years, won the silver medal at the last SEA games in Vietnam and took gold at the 2021 National Games in Indonesia. Asked if she expects to get gold again this year, the 30-year-old replied, “of course!”
Puspa Arumsar in the airport after arriving in Cambodia. Credit: Nathan Paul Southern
Not everyone is thrilled, of course. The decision to use the name “Kun Khmer” rather than “Muay Thai” reignited a long-running feud with Thailand over which country invented the famous martial arts style. In Thailand, it’s seen as a blow to national pride, and the government has refused to let its athletes compete in the event.
Little expense has been spared in getting Cambodia ready for the Games. The $160 million stadium built by China is, according to Hun Sen, a symbol to the world of the “ironclad” friendship between the two nations.
But there have been problems, too. Just outside the stadium is home to the athlete’s village, where it was reported this week that construction had still not been completed on the six white buildings intended to house the athletes, just days from the opening ceremony.
(It’s not known what these hastily constructed buildings will be used for after the ceremony, either… let’s just hope they don’t end up as yet more city scam centres, eh?)
Other initiatives readying the country for the SEA Games have also attracted criticism.The so-called ‘beautification’ initiative in Kep, one of Cambodia’s prettiest and most liveable towns, has led to trees being cut down, street vendors being moved from the area and a sterile asphalt walkway removing much of the beloved character of the coastal town.
Hun Sen no doubt hopes that hosting the regional competition will boost national pride and, potentially, distract from some other issues in the run-up to the election, not least the state of democracy in the country, the modern slavery crisis at scam compounds around the country, and the renewed crackdown on the free press and political opposition. But if the Qatar World Cup has taught us anything, it’s that a few little human rights and forced labour concerns can be brushed aside pretty quickly with the right opening ceremony.
Will Friday’s ceremony manage it? Well, tickets to the event are now rarer than Indochinese tigers, but to capture some of the energy, join the crowds watching the open-air broadcast on the giant screens on Sisowath Quay (Riverside) on Friday evening.
Want to catch any of the games live? Check out the CAMSOC app for ticket availability or try your luck by showing up at the ticket desk before the event.