Cambodia Unveils Key Strategies for Hosting 2031 Asian Youth Games

Cambodia has unveiled key strategies for the development of canoe and rowing sports as it prepares to host the 2031 Asian Youth Games. The Cambodian Canoe and Rowing Federation held a meeting on September 16 at the Ministry of Interior to review the results of the first half of 2026 and set the direction for the second half. During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sar Sokha, who also chairs the federation, presented the crucial strategies for the 2031 Games. Sar Sokha emphasized the need for the federation's leaders and teams to pay high attention to preparing and selecting young athletes to train for the Asian Youth Games, which Cambodia will host in 2031. He highlighted key strategies for effective preparation and competition, urging the federation to increase outreach to youth in educational institutions and provinces to foster a love for the sport, thereby ensuring a quality talent pool. Furthermore, he advised leaders to focus on selecting athletes from naval and coastal police units, aiming to train promising athletes aged 13-14. This strategic selection is expected to yield a competitive pool of athletes by 2030 and 2031. In addition to these core strategies, four major plans were presented to ensure sustainability and achieve results. These include developing competition plans in accordance with international rowing standards to prepare for hosting the 2031 Asian Youth Games; utilizing digital automation systems to facilitate national and international work; expanding management scope by learning from grassroots experiences and assessing athletes' daily training performance; and conducting phased internal quality reviews. Annual development plans are also to be created, setting a common direction towards the 2031 event. The compilation of the federation's history into a digital archive, focusing on competitions and leadership, was also mentioned. Sar Sokha expressed his strong commitment to accelerating development and addressing existing shortcomings in athlete training. The meeting aimed to review and evaluate work progress in the first half of the year and continue with the second-half direction, seeking input to achieve quality potential in human resources, training, organizing international standard competitions, and athletes' participation abroad. Sar Sitthi, Second Vice President of the Cambodian Canoe and Rowing Federation, presented the first-half work report, and Kanhha Meas Toeun, Chief Treasurer, presented the financial report. Source: AKP Khmer