Background of SEA
SEA Games, also known as Southeast Asian Games, is a multi-sport tournament that opens every two years. The tournament consists of 11 Southeast Asian countries, with hundreds of thousands of athletes joining. Moreover, there will be 56 distinguished sports awarded with Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals.
When the competition takes place, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) will oversee and regulate it with assistance from the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF). Generally, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) contains 5 geographical subregional games, including Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Asia, West Asia, and Central Asia. Therefore, the SEA Games is one of them.
In 2023, Cambodia will host the 32nd Southeast Asia Games for the first time. The capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Penh, will be key to welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors from all regions during the tournament. Moreover, His Excellency Dr. Thong Khon, the President of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), declared in the SEA Games Federation Council meeting in Singapore that Cambodia will be the host.
Who Will Join The 32nd SEA Games?
It will be the first time in Cambodia's history with the SEA Game to host this most important sporting event in Southeast Asia, having over 10,000 participants with 7,000 professional athletes. There will be countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Philippines, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, and Cambodia.
The WorldBridge Sport Village Accommodations
The WorldBridge Sports Village will be the heart of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games by supporting participating countries, athletes, foreign and local visitors with world-class accommodations, lifestyles, and other high-end facilities.
In addition, this area will be operated and utilized as the heart of a sporting community connecting both residential and commercial purposes. The area will provide close access to Water Park, Educational and Healthcare centers, Golf Course (over 45 holes to be available), The Safari World, and other lifestyles and sporting facilities.
Other than that, The WorldBridge Sports Village is located close to Cambodia's main national stadium, Morodok Techo. Visitors can walk to this beautiful stadium in less than 10 minutes. On top of that, it takes less than 30 minutes to drive to the hotel from the city center. Thus, tourists can explore the nightlife and wander around the city center every time. The hotels and accommodations will offer an excellent service to the visiting participants and tourists.
Little Geographical and Traveling Knowledge During the SEA Games
The Morodok Techo sports complex, which is an area where the SEA games 2023 take place, is pinpointed 20 km in Khan Chhroy Jongvar, the outskirt Phnom Penh capital city. The area is occupied with 88 hectares of land to provide sufficient space to welcome the visitors. On top of that, there are many road lines, bridges, and public transport connections to the arena from all directions.
So, for example, once visitors arrive at the airport, they can catch the public buses, taxis, or motorcycles in front of the airport, which will drive them along the Asian road number 11. Then on the left side, there will be a Phnom Penh-Hanoi Friendship Blvd connected to Ly Yong Phat Blvd, where they will arrive at the Morodok Techo area right after crossing a Prek Pnov bridge. Eventually, the trip will take around 45 minutes with 23 km long.
Phnom Penh’s Historical Landmarks to Visit
For any tourists who will come to watch the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, you should not miss visiting the following historical sites that will astonish you, as following:
1. The Royal Palace
When visiting Phnom Penh, do not miss out on a visit to Cambodia's Royal Palace, which has been home to the royal family of Cambodia. The spired-roof structures are a perfect illustration of ancient Khmer architecture.
2. Tuol Sleng Museum & Choeung Ek
These two historical sites are the places to remind everyone about the Khmer Rouge regime, in which millions of Khmer people were killed in 3 years. Choeung Ek is one of the deadliest killing fields during the Khmer Rouge, slaughtering thousands of Cambodia’s scholars, intellectuals, and many others, such as teachers, rich people, and doctors. On the other hand, Tuol Sleng (a.k.a. Prison 21) was a jail where Khmer people were hanged and severely tortured by the Pol Pot.
3. Independence Monument
Located at the intersection of Norodom Blvd and Sihanouk Blvd, the Independence Monument in Phnom Penh was erected in 1953 to commemorate Cambodia's liberation from the French colony. This beautiful structure is decorated with 99 snakeheads from all angles. Around this historical site, there are parks, high-end restaurants, hotels, apartments, and other local eateries.
Morodok Techo National Stadium
The Morodok Techo National Stadium has many up-to-date sporting facilities to serve towards the host of SEA Games 2023. This stadium is the most unique and exceptional arena, built for the purpose of hosting the SEA Games in the upcoming year. Furthermore, the project took place in April 2013 with a land area of 16.22 hectares located on the Northern side of the capital city, Phnom Penh.
Financed by the Chinese government, the main stadium began its foundation in 2017 with a budget of $160 million (1.1 billion Chinese Yuan back then). Moreover, the construction of the Morodok Techo national stadium took 4 years and 4 months, with more than 300 Chinese engineers and over 200 Cambodian experts to be completed.
Architectural Design of The Morodok Techo
Sailboats were used as inspiration for the design of the Morodok Techo National Stadium's structural appearance. It is seen as an emblem of links between Cambodia and China because it was through these ships that the first Chinese immigrants arrived in the nation. Moreover, All of the venue's architecture is inspired by and surrounded by a moat, like the one at the Angkor Wat.
In addition to the moat, Romduol flowers were also part of the architectural elements of the stadium, representing Cambodia's identity. Other than that, by the time you arrive in the Morodok Techo boundaries, you will see the 2 tall mast structures standing on each side of the stadium from a distance. These 99-meters structures were constructed to represent ‘Sampeah,’ the Khmer traditional etiquette. This beautiful sailing ship-like arena can hold up to 60,000 capacities along with other VIP rooms and lounges.
References:
- Joseph, C. (2021, December 20). Cambodia 2023 SEA Games a ‘Dream’ for Boosting Kingdom’s Sport Legacy. The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.phnompenhpost.com/sport/cambodia-2023-sea-games-dream-boosting-kingdoms-sport-legacy
- SEA Games 2023. (n.d.). www.Wbsportvillage.Com. Retrieved March 14, 2022, from https://www.wbsportvillage.com/sea-games-2023
