STORY: 114 Cambodian athletes to compete in Hangzhou Asian Games
DATELINE: Sept. 21, 2023
LENGTH: 00:03:05
LOCATION: Phnom Penh
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the ceremony
2. various of speech by Cambodia's Olympic chief Thong Khon
3. various of speech by Cambodian PM Hun Manet
4. SOUNDBITE (Khmer): KHUN CHANROSEKA, Soft tennis player

STORYLINE:

Cambodia's 189-member sports delegation, including 114 athletes, will attend the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province from September 23 to October 8, the country's Olympic chief said on Wednesday.

Thong Khon, president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said the delegation paid a courtesy call on Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet on Wednesday afternoon before leaving for the Games.

"I believe that Cambodian athletes will be able to achieve good results in this second biggest sports event in the world after the Olympics," Khon, who will lead the delegation to attend the Games, told Xinhua.

He said Cambodian athletes will compete in 17 sports, including athletics, swimming, volleyball and basketball.

Soft tennis player Khun Chanroseka, 18, said the Asian Games is an opportunity for her and other athletes across Asia to show physical ability and talent after years of hard training.

SOUNDBITE (Khmer): KHUN CHANROSEKA, Soft tennis player
"At the upcoming Asian Games, I will participate in the soft tennis competition. It is my first time contesting in this event. For me, I feel happy to contest in this important event, and whether I win a medal or not, I cannot predict, but I will try my best during the upcoming contest. Before participating in this Asian Games, I have trained in soft tennis for five to six years, and I have been trained every day. I wish the Asian Games in Hangzhou City a smooth and successful event."

In the last edition of the Asian Games in Indonesia in 2018, Cambodia bagged two gold and one bronze medals.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Phnom Penh.
(XHTV)