Seven countries have already registered to compete in the martial art Kun Khmer which was included for the first time in this year’s SEA Games.

The seven countries, which are Cambodia, Laos, the Philipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, have indicated their intention to compete in Kun Khmer, according to Tem Moeun, president of the Kun Khmer Federation (KHF).

Moeun said Cambodia, the host nation and the owner of Kun Khmer, will send 19 contestants including seven female and 11 male contestants. He said the Cambodian team is well-prepared for the games and is aiming high to get medals.

He said the martial artists have a tight training schedule to improve their technical abilities and to keep them fit as the SEA Games are just around the corner. He said the players have two training sessions in a day and other special additional training is included as well.

The sports will compete in 19 different weight classes starting from the 45kg weight class to the 81kg weight class. But the official draw has not been made yet, he said.

“We cannot predict the result beforehand. But we deeply believe in our players’ ability to get good results,” he said.

“We are really proud to host the first SEA Games and also include our martial art in the competition. It is a great opportunity to showcase Kun Khmer to the world.”

The Kun Khmer martial art has been grabbing a lot of attention among Cambodian supporters recently ranging from the general public to government officials and even Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Cambodia SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC) chose 37 sports and three traditional ones including Kun Khmer, Bokator, and chess.

This is a first for Cambodia’s traditional martial art Kun Khmer to be featured in a big sports tournament. The Kun Khmer competition will start from May 6 to 11 at the Morodok Techo stadium.

There are 23 more days to the first-ever SEA Games to be held in Cambodia. Due to political instability and financial difficulty, the country had to wait 64 years until it could host this biennial multi-sport event.

As the SEA Games is just a few weeks away, the infrastructure serving the tournament’s events at the main venues such as Morodok Techo and the Olympic National Stadium is almost finished, according to CAMSOC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun. While the sports village, an accommodation facility, is ready to welcome athletes later this month, he said.