August 16, 2024
PHNOM PENH – The Cambodian sports delegation officially completed its participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in France and returned home on the afternoon of August 14.
They were warmly welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Thong Khon, president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), and other sports officials at Phnom Penh International Airport (PNH).
Despite their efforts, the three Cambodian athletes could not surpass their personal bests during the competitions, which began on July 26 and concluded on August 11. Nevertheless, Khon praised their hard work and the Cambodian delegation’s ability to uphold the nation’s honour.
“Participating in the Olympics is extremely important for Cambodia. It brings us great pride to be part of this prestigious international event while upholding our discipline and commitment to excellence in technique. This is a significant honour for our country,” Khon said, speaking at the airport reception.
“Our athletes have made history by competing and learning from the techniques, rules and regulations of the competition. The mission leaders, medical staff and other administrative personnel also performed well, ensuring that Cambodia maintained and elevated its national respect at this Olympic event,” Khon added.
Nhean Sokvisal, mission leader for this year’s Olympic campaign, stated, “The three-week mission has concluded, although we did not win any medals. It was not just Cambodia. Looking at the overall standings, out of 206 participating nations, only 84 won medals. Cambodia is among the more than 100 countries that did not win any, and we had only three athletes participating.”
At the 2024 Olympic Games, 2023 SEA Games gold medalist Chhun Bunthan completed both of his 800-metre races with a time of 1:53.31. Unfortunately, Bunthan was unable to surpass his personal best of 1:50.09, which he set at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.
Cambodian-French swimmer Antoine de Lapparent ended his 100-metre freestyle race with a time of 52.95 seconds, placing third in his heat and ranking 67th out of 79 competitors in the event.
Meanwhile, Cambodian-American swimmer Apsara Sakbun finished her 50-metre freestyle race with a time of 26.90 seconds, ranking 38th globally out of 79 countries, but the time was lower than her previous best of 26.24 seconds achieved at the 2023 SEA Games.
Reflecting on the Olympic competition, Bunthan said, “I trained hard to break my personal record, but I could not do it because of a leg injury, as I have a bone growth in that area.”
However, he emphasised, “We demonstrated courage and embodied the Olympic spirit by not giving up, even in the face of injuries. We raised our national flag, showing that we never quit in competitions. It is an honour for me to have represented Cambodia in my first Olympic participation.”
Sokvisal also expressed pride that the Cambodian athletes competed on equal footing with others from around the world. He noted that the Cambodian delegation received significant attention, particularly as the boat they rode during the Olympic opening ceremony was a luxurious vessel from a seven-star hotel in Paris.
During the closing ceremony, Sokvisal highlighted the incredible impact made by Cambodian rapper VannDa, whose performance deeply resonated with Cambodians in France, around the world, and with the country’s foreign friends. He said many people expressed admiration and curiosity about how a Cambodian artist was able to perform at such a prestigious event.
“It was an unforgettable experience to see VannDa perform on such a grand stage, a privilege granted to only a select few artists. This is a moment of great pride, and both the young athletes, coaches and I were profoundly proud and moved beyond words,” he added.