It can be said that Cambodia has become the first host country in the history of the SEA Games to do something special: free tickets, cover all accommodation, food and domestic travel costs for sports delegations attending the event as well as not collect television copyright fees. This special decision was made by Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen after a meeting with the Organizing Committee of the 32nd SEA Games and the 12th ASEAN Para Games, with the presence of Defense Minister Tea Banh and Tourism Minister Thong Khon.
It is not surprising that Cambodia offers free tickets to all events for spectators and does not collect television copyright fees. However, the fact that the host of the 32nd SEA Games offers free accommodation, meals, and domestic travel for all sports delegations attending this year's Games, at a rate of 50 USD/person/day, is truly a surprise.
Speaking about this, Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “We do not need money from ticket sales or any advertising in Cambodia. Our need at this time is not money from ticket sales or advertising rights, but through that we want to let the world know about Cambodia.”
Through the 32nd SEA Games, Cambodia wants to introduce the image of the country and its people to the world. Therefore, they do not focus too much on ticket sales, television copyrights...
Mr. Thong Khon, Permanent Vice President of the 32nd SEA Games Organizing Committee (CAMSOC), emphasized: The 11 delegations of athletes participating in the SEA Games will not have to bear any expenses related to accommodation and travel. However, the regulations and rules related to quotas and length of stay will remain the same.
This decision and the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen further affirm the Kingdom of Cambodia's commitment to welcoming the regional sports family and international guests in a friendly neighborly environment.
According to Mr. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of CAMSOC, through the list, there are a total of 11,246 athletes and coaches registered for the 32nd SEA Games. However, among them, only 9,000 coaches and athletes do not have to pay the fee. He added: “We only exempt the coaching staff and athletes who directly participate in training and competition, while others who accompany them will have to pay. We have not yet calculated how much money we need to spend on that.”
It is estimated that Cambodia has to spend more than 500,000 USD/day to cover the expenses of foreign athletes attending the Games.
The congress organized 48 sports and sub-sports with 608 events. The 32nd SEA Games had the participation of 11 sports delegations from Southeast Asia.
In addition to free food and accommodation, host country Cambodia also announced free tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies and competitions at the 32nd SEA Games.
In addition, according to the Organizing Committee of the host country, Cambodia has just released the official song of the 2023 SEA Games titled Cambodian Pride. A few days after being posted, this MV has received 50 million views on Youtube and is expected to continue to increase. Below the comment section, there are many compliments on social networking platforms from audiences in Southeast Asian countries about the investment and meticulousness in both image and sound of the host country. In history, no official song of the SEA Games has achieved such a large number of views on Youtube. This can be considered Cambodia's initial success in communication work for the SEA Games.
The message that Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Organizing Committee sent to the 2023 SEA Games is special for athletes, coaches as well as Southeast Asian audiences in recent days.
Cambodia has a current population of 17,343,132 people, a total land area of 176,446 km2, an expected gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of nearly 2,000 USD and an economic growth rate of 6.6% in 2023. But according to the 2023 SEA Games Organizing Committee, Cambodia spent about 200 million USD to host the 32nd SEA Games. Obviously, this country has taken carefully calculated steps, in which investment in sports is one of the pillars in the process of developing the socio-cultural economy, expanding foreign relations, spreading the image, and raising the national level./.
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