January 7, 2020
Cambodian roller sports players depart for Korea training

Three Cambodian skateboarders/roller sports players and a coach have departed for South Korea for winter sports training.

The three athletes in the group – Thol Nacy, Thong Nareach and Watthanak Sokhkun – join coach Thuon Mohasal for the South Korean Government-sponsored training.

The Cambodian athletes and coach boarded their flight to South Korea yesterday at the Phnom Penh International Airport. Their families and several sports officials were with them at the airport prior to departure.

The four representatives from the Kingdom will join 140 athletes from over 50 countries for two weeks of intensive winter sports training, according to Kosal Pisey, president of Cambodia Skateboard and Roller Sports Federation (CSRSF).

“I hope they can learn and gain more experience that they can use to improve their skills,” he said.

In an earlier interview, Pisey noted that many winter sports disciplines share the same basics with skateboarding and roller sports. “They have almost the same moves and flow,” he pointed out.

For Nareach, who is a skateboarder, Pisey said he is hoping that the training will make him more creative and improve on his style. “For the others, who are more into roller sports, this will help them improve their speed, stability and flexibility,” he stressed.

He added that the training will also be a good opportunity for cultural exchanges and for Cambodian athletes to bond with their foreign counterparts.

Another likely benefit, according to him, is that the training will be a good opportunity for Cambodians to prepare for competitions abroad.

“I would like to the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports for giving us this opportunity,” he said.

The training will be held at Gangwon province from Jan 6 to 18.

The participants will train under Korea’s Dream Programme. The programme involves training on a variety of winter sports, including snowboarding, cross country skiing and ice skating.

Aimed at improving the winter sports skills and capabilities of athletes around the world, the programme gives priority to countries that rarely or never experiences snow or where winter sports are largely unknown.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50677275/c ... a-training

What a bizarre use of (I assume) foreign aid money. Rollerblading and skating are somewhat transferable, but skateboarding and snowboarding absolutely aren't. I mean, it'll be fun for all the athletes and a great experience, but kind of pointless? Cool of them to set that up though. I wonder if it's meant to improve certain skills, or just experience winter sports, or maybe gain more knowledge of Korea?

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 12:36 pm What a bizarre use of (I assume) foreign aid money. Rollerblading and skating are somewhat transferable, but skateboarding and snowboarding absolutely aren't. I mean, it'll be fun for all the athletes and a great experience, but kind of pointless? Cool of them to set that up though. I wonder if it's meant to improve certain skills, or just experience winter sports, or maybe gain more knowledge of Korea?

The program is organized and all expenses are paid for by the South Korean government.
Soft power ?