As promised, we are gathering today once again but one day before our scheduled date – 4 April, my birthday because I will attend the summit of International Mekong Committee in Siem Reap […] on behalf of the Royal Government and myself, I wish to deliver my appreciation for the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia as well as the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, for their steadfast efforts last year. I also convey my appreciations to every sports federations, though there had or had not been competitions, have made efforts in their respective trainings.
Sports Become a National Movement
I am so happy to see the progress made by Cambodian sports, which has become a large national movement. We have seen through competitions in primary level school in football, volleyball, and other sports concerned. They are really making a national movement for our nation. Our youth in villages and/or communes are practicing various kinds of sports. I have seen people exercising everywhere – in small or big parks. I continue to make my appeal to our people to exercise, though not in sports, for their good health […]
I am so glad to have seen efforts made by schools in the whole country from primary to secondary, and to tertiary education – both private and state, in this endeavor to make sports a national movement. I am sure that through these efforts we all put in, sports will bring about solidarity, good relations – in both national level and with other countries.
Strengthen Sports Ethics/Virtues
On this occasion, I am appealing to every involved stakeholders to strengthen and expand virtues in sports. I have discovered an ethic and virtue in boxing. I was pleased to see that the one that failed to win accepted the judges’ decisions. There was a time when I offered a reward to a Cambodian boxer who lost his fight to a Thai boxer, and he respected the judges’ findings […] that was a great example of sports ethics/virtue that every sportsmen/women should follow […]
I really hope that sportsmen/women would not follow habits of some politicians, who not only destroyed results of the elections but the country causing deaths in their protests, and disrupting socio-economic order. Some denigrated that Ei Phuthong has no boxing match. They considered me Ei Phuthong, the boxer. They said there is no one to box with me. They said I box with no one. Let me affirm that the boxer to match with “Ei Phuthong” did not respect traffic rule and was run over by a car. So, that boxer could not have a match with Hun Sen […] they have to find a new boxer to match with Hun Sen […]
Respect Forms/Procedures of Competition, No Use of Prohibited Substances
I am calling on our sportsmen/women to respect every forms and procedures of competition, no matter one wins or loses. We must not infringe upon conditions. On top of this I calling on you to respect the sports ethics and use no substances prohibited in sports. We must be dignified sportsmen/women. Use of banned substances would dishonor not only sportsmen/women personally but also those of the nation […] I hope we look into this issue and I am calling on sportsmen/women themselves to stay away from it […]
Training Arbiters for Regional and International Events
Let me talk about trainers and arbiters. I have followed this matter rather closely. We have noticed progress in our training of arbiters. I am encouraging further efforts so that they would be able to work at regional and international level sports events […] I am so proud of our arbiters who, despite their senior ages, have made the best efforts they could. Some trainers also were with me when I was practicing football and volleyball in my younger days […] now I have found a sports for men at my age could play. It is golf. We should look into possibilities to strengthen our capacity in this sports and include this in competitions at the SEA Games 2023, when Cambodia will host it. I hope Samdech Tia Banh, who chairs this federations of golf, will see to it that we will have national golfers for the match.
Social Protection Regimes for Sportsmen/Women, Trainers and Arbiters
On this occasion, once again, I reiterate my announcement of social protection policy/regimes to you. I did it last time with the workers/employees, not in your presences. Sportsmen/women, trainers, and arbiters are subjected to benefiting from those social protection policies as well. They are entitled to riding buses in Phnom Penh free of charge for two years. Last time I said for sportsmen/women. I did not explicitly mention trainers and/or arbiters. In fact, the policy covers every sportsmen/women, trainers, and arbiters.
Payroll Sportswomen Claim Benefit from Own Institutions
Concerning access to healthcare free of charge, they will benefit from the policies altogether. However, I wish to affirm that those sportsmen/women who are also in the Royal Government’s payroll and some in the royal police and armed forces would take the benefit from their respective institutions, and there is no need for them to claim for the cash assistance delivered to workers/employees (who are not in the Riyal Government, the armed forces). Women in the Royal Government, the national police, and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces are entitled to 800,000 Riel in cash assistance. Sportswomen/men (who are not in the payroll of those institutions) are entitled to the 400,000 cash assistance as do the workers/employees (employed in private sector) […]
I thank every sportsmen/women, trainers, and arbiters for accepting my invitation for this annual gathering. I hope that sportsmen/women in their older ages would still be in their good health till 2023 and beyond to see Cambodia’s hosting of SEA Games. We have been busy working on infrastructures necessary in preparation for hosting such magnificent sport event. We have non-interested aid from the People’s Republic of China and are working on adding more investments into sports sector to ensure its progress in tandem with that of our national economy […]./.
