Cambodia to send 166-member delegation to 11th ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia

PHNOM PENH, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said here on Wednesday that the country will send a 166-member delegation to attend the 11th ASEAN Para Games in Solo city, Indonesia from July 30 to August 6.

Speaking during a meeting, Hun Sen said the delegation, including 115 athletes, will compete in 11 sports in the forthcoming biennial multi-sport event.

They will leave the country for the event on July 24 and return on August 7.

"It proves that people with disabilities are also capable and they have contributed to promoting the development of the sports sector," he said. "I hope that our athletes will achieve good results at the forthcoming event."

The prime minister advised the athletes to adhere to the principle of fair play and to avoid using stimulants in order to maintain the nation's reputation and dignity.

"Winning or losing is normal in sports competition, but disciplinary offenses, especially the use of banned substances, will harm our country's image," he said.

Indonesia volunteered as the host of the 11th ASEAN Para Games after the cancellation of the 2019 ASEAN Para Games in the Philippines and the withdrawal of Vietnam as the host of the 2022 ASEAN Para Games.

The Cambodian athletes will compete in para-table tennis, para-powerlifting, para-athletics, para-swimming, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, goalball, Cerebral Palsy (CP) football, boccia, para-badminton and para chess.

According to the 11th ASEAN Para Games 2022's website, 11 countries in Southeast Asia, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste, will contest in 14 sports at the event.