The vice president of Korean Wrestling Federation (KWF), Kenneth Lee, has said he is impressed by the efforts of the Cambodian Wrestling Federation (CWF) to strengthen their abilities before attempting to challenge for gold medals on the international stage, especially when the Kingdom hosts the regional SEA Games in 2023.

Lee also said his confederation is considering offering help to their Cambodian counterparts at a meeting at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia headquarters yesterday following requests from the Kingdom.

In the meeting with CWF Secretary-General Thin Vichet at the NOCC’s headquarters, Lee said he was very impressed with the improvements and progress within the sport in Cambodia.

He said: “I am impressed by the strong efforts of the Cambodian Wrestling Federation. Although the federation doesn’t have the funds to send their wrestlers to compete at international events or to train abroad, the federation has tried its best to follow standards by encouraging youths to join the sport and guiding them along the way, with support from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. I will also be relaying the request from Mr Vichet to my federation president for help in further developing Cambodian wrestling.”

Vichet and CWF President Vath Chamroeun put requests to the KWF through Lee to help with funding for the travel of two wrestlers, two trainers and two delegates in order to make them available to compete at this year’s Asian Wrestling Championships in India.

The CWF also asked its Korean counterpart to give scholarships for Cambodian’s athletes to train in their country ahead of the Asian Games in 2018.

Vuchet also asked the KWF to provide support in development in the way of training floors, boots, uniforms and other equipment, of which the CWF is in short supply, and also to offer guidance ahead of the 2023 SEA Games, which the Kingdom is hosting.

Vichet told The Phnom Penh Post: “Kenneth Lee told me he will reply to the requests next month. According to our meeting, we can expect that we will be granted at least half of our requests”

When asked about the request from the Cambodian federation, Lee said: “I am very excited for the future after watching Cambodian wrestle, so we will help as much as we can.

We welcome and are happy to give Cambodian wrestlers a training camp in Korea, and we will also consider sending our trainers to train in the country.”

Translated by In Sopheng