Runners take part in the 8th International Half Marathon in Sihanoukville, in 2023. Supplied
A senior sporting official has called for the Kingdom’s athletes to throw their support behind the upcoming 10th International Half Marathon in Sihanoukville, to be held on March 30.
Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) explained that increased participation is required to promote tourism in Preah Sihanouk province and help the event reach the potential of other distance running events across the region.
He noted that the NOCC and its partners have worked diligently for many years to stage the Sihanoukville half marathon, but participation remains low and the funds raised are insufficient to support charitable efforts when compared to similar events in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.
Chanroeun addressed a February 25 press conference to drum up support for the race.
NOCC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun (centre) addresses a February 25 press conference on the upcoming event. Chhorn Norn
“This is the 10th time we’ve organized the international half marathon in Sihanoukville, but we know that it hasn’t been fully successful yet. Only about 2,000 to 3,000 participants have joined, which is far from the success we’ve had in other locations, such as Siem Reap and Phnom Penh,” he said.
He announced that to date, around 1,500 runners had already registered, including 200 foreigners.
The organising committee hope to see around 2,000 participants this year.
Chamroeun remained dedicated to the event, sharing his belief that the race will become a major tourist drawcard for Sihanoukville.
He shared his vision of the half marathon becoming one of the great coastal international races, like the Phuket Marathon in Thailand and the Danang Marathon in Vietnam, which attract tens of thousands of participants.
“If we continue to work hard to improve the quality of the event, we will succeed one day. This is our goal, and what will follow is progress. This event has the potential to provide job opportunities, boost the economy, tourism and business, and help smaller local vendors. This is why we continue to put in the effort,” he explained.
“Sihanoukville is very safe, with excellent public security and new infrastructure. We often talk about promoting the positive aspects of Preah Sihanouk province’s new infrastructure. What’s new is that we want the world, and the Cambodian people, to see the growth, development and potential of Sihanoukville. Sporting events like this one are important for raising awareness of its potential,” he added.
Sem Phalla, general manager of the Cambodia Marathon Committee, provided details of the upcoming event.
The 10th International Half Marathon in Sihanoukville will include four races: 21 kilometres, 10 kilometres, 5 kilometres and a fun run of 3 kilometres.
The races will start sequentially from 5.10am to 5.50am on March 30.
Phalla also urged stronger promotion of the event to attract more participants, as he believed Sihanoukville has tremendous potential as a host.
He mentioned that current publicity has been insufficient – especially outside Cambodia – to attract a larger crowd.
“The condition of the running path and the environment in Sihanoukville are excellent, especially the 21-kilometre course. IT follows the coast for more than 10 kilometres, which is rare in Asia,” he said.
“However, our promotion efforts are still lacking both domestically and internationally. If we accelerate our efforts in the next two to three years, we could see 5,000 to 10,000 participants,” he added.
