The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) will host the ‘8th Khmer Empire Marathon’ in Siem Reap on August 6. The organisers aim to promote the marathon race and attract visitors to tourist sites in the area.

This is the second time in a row that NOCC has sponsored the annual Khmer Empire Marathon. The full marathon event was suspended for two years between 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NOCC and organising committee of the Khmer Empire Marathon expect more participants will join the event this year than last.

“Marathon is a popular sporting event and races are held in many countries including Cambodia. The event attracts athletes and connects tourists from different parts of the world. Besides running in the race, they can visit Cambodia’s most popular tourist sites in Siem Reap,” Vath Chamroeun, Secretary-General of the National Olympics Committee of Cambodia said at a press conference on Tuesday.

He said there are already more than 2,000 athletes registered for the race. Among them 1,500 are locals along with another 500 participants, most coming from China, Vietnam, Japan and other countries, he said.

In last year’s edition, there were only one thousand participants attending the event. The lower number resulted from the fact that Cambodia had just reopened the country and tourists were only beginning to travel again, he said.

“The marathon event is playing an essential role to give a lift to tourism in the low season. It’s also an opportunity for sports lovers in the country and all over the world to come and meet each other,” he said.

He said that it gives a chance for Cambodian athletes to participate in the event. The marathon helps them to test their abilities and prepares them to try out other major events.

He added that all the income from athlete registration and sponsorships will be donated to non-profit hospitals in Siem Reap and other charities.

The 8th Khmer Empire Marathon is divided into four different formats, including the full-length 42km marathon, the 21km half-marathon, the 10km short marathon and a 3km family fun easy run.

Sem Phalla, General Manager of the Khmer Empire Marathon, said the organising committee is ready to welcome all the participants next month.

“We’re preparing safety measures to assist participants who are joining the event,” said Phalla, adding, “We hope more participants will join in and register for the event.”

Last month, the 10th annual Phnom Penh International Half Marathon took place in the heart of the city. The race was timed to congratulate Her Majesty Queen Norodom Monineath Sihanouk on her 87th birthday. All the funds raised from sponsorships were donated to the Kantha Bopha Children’s Hospital.

A total of four thousand people, including the elderly, adults, children along with athletes from the Cambodia’s 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and from the 12th ASEAN Para Games (APG) athletes participated in the Phnom Penh Half Marathon event.

Four race formats of 21, 10, 5 and 2.5 kilometres gave participants a choice based on their personal preferences. Four thousand people registered for the 10th Phnom Penh International Half Marathon.