Phnom Penh, May 5 (ZXS) -- On May 5, local time, the opening ceremony of the 5nd Southeast Asian Games was held at the Dechong National Stadium in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and senior officials, sports organizations and delegation guests from various countries attended the opening ceremony.
The theme of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games is: Sport – Living in Peace. Hun Sen presided over the opening ceremony of the historic sporting event, dubbed "Cambodia has been waiting for 64 years".
The opening ceremony was divided into three chapters, namely "The Splendor of Angkor", "The Khmer Smile" and "The Future of the Khmer People". The opening ceremony not only showed the beauty of Cambodia's customs and people, but also highlighted the theme of this year's Games.
The Dechong National Stadium, the main venue of this year's Southeast Asian Games, was built with China's assistance, with a total construction area of 8,6 square meters and a capacity of 2017,8 spectators. The project, which started construction in August <>, is the largest and highest-level stadium built by the Chinese government to date.
The opening ceremony of the evening was also planned and directed by the Chinese team. Performances by well-known Cambodian singers and dance artists breathe even more life into this historic regional event.
The tournament will be held in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Saigang, Kampot and Kep provinces and cities until May 5. Including the host countries, 17,10 athletes from 11 countries in 7000 ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste competed for 37,5151 medals in <> sports set up by the Games.
The Cambodian government allocated more than $2 million for the event. The Cambodian National Police Headquarters dispatched nearly 2,<> police officers to maintain public order.
This year, Cambodia will host another major sporting event: the 6th ASEAN Para Games, which will be held from June 3 to 9. Cambodia hopes to further boost confidence in the country's tourism industry by hosting the aforementioned sporting events. Officials expect to welcome 12,50 international visitors during this year's Southeast Asian Games.
Previously, Hun Sen said that Cambodia will provide free food and accommodation to representatives of athletes from various countries participating in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, free broadcast rights to all countries, and free tickets to the public and foreign tourists.
The Southeast Asian Games was founded in 1959 as the Southeast Asian Peninsula Games. Since its first event, the event has been an important event to strengthen peace and unity among countries in Southeast Asia. (End)