ACC lobbies to include cricket in Cambodia SEA Games 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 (Bernama) -- The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is lobbying for cricket to be one of the competitive medal sport events at the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia next year.
ACC Development chairman Mahinda Vallipuram, when contacted by Bernama, said the ACC recently sent a delegation to Cambodia (on June 26) to prepare for the Games.
“So, we went to Cambodia to meet the secretary-general (Vath Chamroeun) of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), and we did negotiate with the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) Council to include cricket in the SEA Games, we visited the facilities and proposed their cricket ground, which is next to the National Stadium.
“Right now, we are looking at the cricket associations in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia Myanmar and the Philippines to provide confirmation on this, as I know that there will be a SEAGF Council meeting in Phnom Penh next week (July 11-13).
“The ACC is ready to assist the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia to develop facilities in preparation if cricket is included in the list of the biennial sports event,” said Mahinda, who is also former president of the Malaysian Cricket Association.
He said the inclusion of cricket in the SEA Games is an important step for the development of national cricketers to spur training as well as open up greater opportunities for national teams to play in the Asian region.
Looking at the performance of the national cricket squad who are eligible to book tickets to the Asian Cup in Bangladesh next October, Mahinda is optimistic that the (Malaysian) national team will also be able to win medals at the 2023 SEA Games.
"If cricket is included in the SEA Games, most probably there will be two formats, namely, T20 men and women, so the chances for Malaysia looks very good, as Malaysia won three medals -- a gold, silver and bronze in the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur," he said.
Earlier, SEAGF informed that Cambodia will compete in 40 types of sports, including the host sport of national martial arts, Kun Bokator at the 32nd SEA Games.
Cricket is one of the sports waiting for a SEAGF decision on its inclusion in the list of competitive sports for 2023 which include pencak silat, equestrian and fencing.
-- BERNAMA
