Mass yoga events have been planned at three locations across the country later this month to encourage Cambodians to boost their physical and mental health.

The Ministry of Tourism and the Embassy of India have joined forces to organise the Second International Day of Yoga on June 18 simultaneously in Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, with an event in Phnom Penh the following day.

At a news conference at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia’s headquarters, Pak Sokhom, secretary of state at the Tourism Ministry, said the free mass yoga events will be telecast live worldwide.

The events at Angkor Wat in Siem Reap and Sokha Beach in Sihanoukville will start at 7am, while the event at Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium will start at 8:30am the next day.

Naveen Srivastava, India’s ambassador to Cambodia, described yoga as an important contribution from India to the rest of the world.

For his part, Vath Chamroeun, the secretary-general of the NOCC, said that the appeal of yoga had been gradually spreading across the country.

“We encourage some of our top athletes to pursue yoga as part of their training regimen. The results have proved highly beneficial,” Chamroeun told the Post yesterday.