A total of 15 Cambodian sporting officials, athletes and coaches will travel to the 2024 Olympic Games in France, which are scheduled to take place in Paris from July 26 to August 11. 

During a July 17 meeting with the team at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) headquarters, Thorn Khon, Senior Minister in charge of promoting the development of sports and NOCC president, explained that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has made a number of reforms to the games, in order to strengthen its global identity and promote sustainable competition.

He instructed the assembled delegates to review the new Olympic requirements, including the need for all athletes and coaches to acquire the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) Anti-Doping Education and Learning Platform (ADEL) certification.

He also warned the team members against violating any of the rules and regulations of the games, noting that this could damage the Kingdom’s reputation on the international stage.

Khon quoted the philosophy and core values ​​of the Olympic movement, as well as the words of Thomas Bach, IOC president, who emphasises the essence of the Olympic spirit.

While the athletes aim to best their own personal records, their chances of returning with medals seem unlikely.

“The Olympics are not just about winning,” Khon told them.

“You should focus on competing to the very best of your abilities,” he added.

The team of 15 includes five leaders, five mission officials and two coaches, who will support three athletes.

This year’s competitors include SEA Games gold medal-winning 800m runner 31-year-old Chhun Bunthan, as well as 17-year-old French-Cambodian Antoine le Lapparent and 23-year-old Cambodian-American Apsara Katarina Sokbun, both swimmers.

Vath Chamroeun, NOCC secretary-general, explained that the three athletes all successfully qualified for the games.

The Kingdom’s other swimmers and athletes, as well as wrestling and taekwondo exponents, failed to qualify for this year’s Olympics, unlike in 2016, when taekwondo star Sorn Seavmey became the first Cambodian to qualify for the event.

Chamroeun explained that the IOC decided this year’s qualifications on the recommendations of each sport’s international federation, which based its decisions on the technique and past performances of all athletes.

He noted that the three athletes were only notified that they had qualified less than a month ago.

“For the previous Olympics, they let us know five months in advance, but this time we have less than a month to prepare,” he said.

He reiterated that the three deserved the privilege of competing.

The NOCC has selected Chhun Bunthon as the Cambodian flag bearer during this year's Olympic opening ceremony.

The Kingdom first appeared at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics in Australia. To date, it has yet to claim any Olympic medals.