Phnom Penh: Kun Khmer is a national cultural sport and a national identity sport that the Royal Government is urging from the national level to the world level. Therefore, the mission of moving towards the globalization of Kun Khmer has been set by the Royal Government with a vision to develop and preserve our ancient Khmer martial arts. This was stated by H.E. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, during a press conference of the World Kun Khmer Competition in Preah Sihanouk province on November 23, 2025.
H.E. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said that after the success of including Kun Khmer in the 2023 SEA Games, which Cambodia hosted, the reputation of our Kun Khmer sport has spread throughout the world. Currently, just after the SEA Games, 50 countries have joined. If we add the countries that supported Kun Khmer in the past, we have more than 60 Kun Khmer members in the world. This is the pride of Kun Khmer that our ancestors left behind this martial art or Ancient Khmer Martial Art that we all need to remember. At the same time, we have also worked with the international sports movement from year to year on a regular basis. In fact, in the coming years, we will include Kun Khmer competitions in the Asian Youth Games, which Cambodia will host in 2031.
So our Kun Khmer will advance from the Southeast Asian level to the continental level in the coming years and will include Kun Khmer from the continental level to the Olympic level. So we have many goals, but to achieve this vision, we need all the brothers and sisters in this responsibility, as well as the Cambodian people all over the country, to support both mentally and physically in the development and preservation of our Kun Khmer sport. We want to see Preah Sihanouk province with high potential province, as an example like what they did in Las Vegas, USA. And when they talk about Las Vegas, they talk about the biggest boxing competitions in the world. We want Preah Sihanouk province to be a place where the best players in the world can come to compete here. Therefore, His Excellency wants Preah Sihanouk province to organize a business association to focus on boxing. And the experts and guests of the Kun Khmer Federation will work together, and we will do it every year in Preah Sihanouk province. And we will make the value of Kun Khmer players to be higher and the world will pay more attention to Cambodia. And let them want to come and see the highest level of Kun Khmer competition, to fight for the world belts, they will come here. This is our dream.
We all work hard to do this, with the Royal Government as the guide. We need to work with the provincial administration to gather participation to plan what year it will be held, creating a brand in Preah Sihanouk province, holding a professional competition every year, or a boxing match here. These are the plans to make this vision a success. Therefore, this year's world championship has increased by almost 100% compared to last year, with up to 37 countries participating. And we have no ambition to compete with anyone. Let's make ourselves strong, famous, and valuable, respecting international rules and customs properly. They will definitely come to us. And this year is a year when we need to prepare a strong leadership system for our Khmer martial arts. Be strong both internally and externally. And if we are strong internally, then we will be successful and promote it externally.
This year, we are organizing a large convention with members from all countries to organize the management structure of our Kun Khmer in the world. Only when we have a management structure can we have sustainable development. So that, in Preah Sihanouk Province, it will become a symbol and a new turning point for International Kun Khmer, which will issue a Kun Khmer statement in Preah Sihanouk Province. So for all business groups or businesses operating in Preah Sihanouk Province, it is obligatory to promote this Kun Khmer sector to reach a win-win solution for all. The private sector also benefits, while the Kun Khmer sports sector also grows up. Another important point is to want businessmen to form their own sporting clubs, raise players, training strong players to prepare for world-class competitions if possible. And the national and international federations’ technical teams will provide the necessary coaches, support each other. So if we want to compete with the world boxing kings, we must have many clubs, many players, and many competitions.
His Excellency said that, on December 17 is the opening day of the history of our 2025 World Kun Khmer Championship. And what is more special is that we have introduced a new principle: if any player, whether foreign or Cambodian, wins the belt three times in a row, he will receive the gold belt in the third year he wins it. This principle has been implemented since 2025. The price is also high accordingly. His Excellency would like to express his gratitude to the Khmer Beverage Company, which has always supported all sports fields.
