An exhibition of the secrets of the ancient Khmer martial arts will be organised at the National Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh from Oct. 17 to 20, 2024.
H.E. Vath Chamroeun, Permanent Vice Chair of the Commission for Organising the Samdech Thipadei Award for Khmer Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Championships, said the four-day exhibition will showcase the inscriptions of the history of the great Khmer ancestral martial arts.
The exhibition is organised when the country hosts for the first time the Samdech Thipadei Award for Khmer MMA Championships scheduled for Oct. 18-20, 2024.
At the same time, he added, heroism of former Kings, the great men of ancient Khmer martial arts, will be exhibited during the upcoming sports event in order to worship the former Kings who were the top Khmer martial artists.
The Samdech Thipadei Award for Khmer MMA Championships will reinstate Cambodia’s richness of the arts as well as the pride of the past.
Yesterday, while presiding over the celebration of the 30th Founding Annivers
ary of Brigade 70, Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet announced that over 200 troops have applied to compete in the forthcoming tournament, which is expected to draw a total of over 400 participants.
Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet initiated and supported the event to bring to life as many Khmer martial arts as possible so that Cambodians of all generations continue to remember and value them.
Research and studies show that martial arts were deeply rooted in Cambodian culture and played an important role in allowing the ancient Khmers to build a great empire since the pre-Angkorian era.
Four sports federations have been engaged in organising the event, including the Khmer Boxing Federation, the Cambodian Mixed Martial Arts Federation, the Yutkromkhorm Federation of Cambodia, and the Cambodia Kun Bokator Federation.
One of the two competitions is the Khmer traditional martial art performance, which is open to athletes and volunteers from 18 to 65 years old and aims to open an opportunity for
elder athletes to showcase their knowledge of the sport.
Another competition, fighting, includes seven categories for men and five for women.
According to H.E. Dr. Thong Khon, senior minister tasked to lead the event, the first Khmer MMA Championships will be organised in Phnom Penh, but the subsequent events will take place in the provinces such as Siem Reap and Battambang, among others.
Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse