AKP Phnom Penh, April 28, 2025 --

The Cambodian national rowing team is currently participating in a training camp in Svay Rieng provincial city, following a selection test organised by the Cambodia Canoe and Rowing Federation at Tonle Vaiko.

According to Mr. Kong Sopheap, assistant coach of the national team, the training camp consists of four coaches, 20 male athletes, and six female athletes.

Supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports, the training aims to prepare the athletes for two major competitions scheduled for 2025. Mr. Kong highlighted that the first event is the World Games 2025, a prestigious competition held every four years. This year, it will take place in the People's Republic of China from Aug. 6 to 11. The Cambodian team will compete in the traditional international dragon boat races, featuring mixed men’s and women’s teams of 12 and 8 members across six events: 200 metres, 500 metres, and 2,000 metres.

The second event is the 33rd SEA Games, which will be held in Thailand in December 2025. For this event, the federation is preparing athletes for various categories, including canoe, kayak, rowing, and traditional international boat races, the assistant coach added.

He underlined that the federation is pushing for more intensive training in 2025 to further develop the athletes’ skills and secure medals for Cambodia in both competitions. "At the 2023 SEA Games (hosted by Cambodia), we competed and won medals, and in 2025, we aim to maintain and even improve our success," he said, noting that during the World Dragon Boat Championship qualifiers held in 2024 in the Philippines, Cambodia was among the 12 countries that qualified out of 27 participants for the World Games 2025. "Therefore, we are determined to compete strongly and bring home medals for Cambodia," he affirmed.

The training programme, which began on April 8, involves three practice sessions a day, from Monday to Saturday.

By C. Nika