The Council of Ministers approved a draft law Friday listing cash awards to be given to athletes who win medals in major international sports events and to the coaches who train them.
The draft sub-decree covers athletes who win medals at the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games, and is intended to boost Cambodia’s competitiveness in international sports, said Bun Sok, secretary of state for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports.
“This is [Prime Minister] Samdech Hun Sen’s idea to encourage the athletes so that they might win more medals,” he said.
According to the sub-decree, an athlete who wins in the Olympic Games will receive $10,000, $8,000 and $5,000 for gold, silver or bronze, respectively. Medal winners at the Asian Games would get $5,000, $3,000 or $2,000, and SEA Games athletes $3,000, $2,000 or $1,000, for first, second or third place.
Bun Sok said that awards paid to coaches would depend on how successful their athletes were.
Additional training and improved sporting associations will also be necessary for Cambodian athletes to become more competitive at those events, he added.
Khek Ravy, first vice-president of the Football Federation of Cambodia, said that only hard work will bring success on the field.
“Just because we get more money does not mean we will win,” he said.
