By Tim Vutha
The Cambodian 2011 Separk Takraw Championship that was organized from April 27 to May 1, 2011 at the Sport Complex of Olympic Stadium was closed.
Fifteen clubs of the total of 299 male and female athletes representing Separk Takraw clubs nationwide attended this annual national cup.
According to the results, the male team match (two versus two), event A1; Ministry of Defense’s Club ranked 1st, Preah Khanreach A Club ranked 2nd, and Preah Khanreach B Club ranked 3rd.
The male team match (two versus two), event A2, Preah Vihear Club won the 1st place, 1st Department of Kandal Education Youth and Sports’ Club received 2nd place, and Department of Kandal Education, Youth, and Sport ranked 3rd. The male team match (three versus three), event A1; Ministry of Defense’s Club ranked 1st, Preah Khanreach A Club ranked 2nd, and Preah Khanreach B Club ranked 3rd.
The female team match (two versus two), event A1, athletes from the Ministry of Defense’s Club won the Gold medal, Preah Khanreach A Club won the Silver medal, and the bronze medal was received by Preah Khanreach B Club.
The female team match (three versus three), event A1; Preah Khanreach A Club won the Gold medal, Ministry of Defense’s Club received the Silver medal , and Department of Kandal Education Youth and Sports Club received the Bronze medal.
During the closing ceremony, H.E. Bou Chum Serey, Under Secretary of State for the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport, said that the government has constantly supported the sports as it is also one of the government’s restoration fields.
“Despite this, the Kingdom’s sports is not yet at a satisfactory level, I ,hereby, feel optimistic that within the short future term, our national sports will develop faster since our male and female athletes in all sorts of sports are being trained fi rmly to equip them with capabilities and sport talents gradually,” he said. “From the fair and challenging contest today, we found the well-qualified Cambodian athletes specializing in Separk Takraw, I am sincerely impressed with their talent and competence in the sports.”
He appealed to the athletes who won from the competition to put more effort for training in an aim to build up capacity for challenging at the international level to face professional foreign athletes and bring fame back to the nation. On the other hand, the losing teams need to double their effortsto train by extracting the experiences from these matches and polish the weak point to step forward for claiming victory in the upcoming events.
Sao Villla, 26, an athlete from a Cambodian-Lao Border zone representing Preah Vihear Club who win the fi rst place for male team match (two versus two) said that the sport has been his habitual games with other boys in the village since he was a child.
“I just have been attached to the sport since being a little boy, and I usually play the sport with other similar age people at my homeland, but frankly speaking, I have quit playing the sport around 10 years already,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly after winning the gold medal. Although, it is his fi rst time to attend the national competition in Phnom Penh, he values other Cambodian athletes as having comparable skills and techniques as he does.
Villa expresses his sincere dream to attend the international sport contest in representing Cambodia, but unfortunately due to his family background, and lack of opportunity, it prevents him to challenge in international arenas.
Cambodian Separk Takraw Championship is annually organized by the Ministry of Education Youth and Sport, and as expected, the 2012 Championship will be held approximately at the same time in 2012.
Source: The Southeast Asia Weekly, May 8-14, 2011, Vol. 5, Issue 19, Page 12
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