Cambodian marathoner trains himself for Olympics out of hope, hardship

By Xia Lin

PHNOM PENH, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-five year old runner Hem Bunting has been training himself each day here at the Olympic Stadium since the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) chose him to join the Beijing Olympics in August together with three other Khmer athletes.

"Of course I am very excited to have the chance to compete in the Olympics, but I don't hope to win a medal," English-language bi-weekly the Phnom Penh Post Friday quoted him as saying.

Selected by NOCC, the Cambodian team consists of two swimmers, a female sprint runner and Bunting, who will compete in men's marathon and 5,000 meters run.

The team owes its presence at the Olympics to regulations allowing some of the world's least developed countries to enter a man and woman in two sports categories without having to qualify.

Bunting, like the other three, now lives for a supreme dream, but leads a hard life short of finance and understanding.

"He is the number on marathon runner in Cambodia but he still trains in old shoes," Chea Chandara, Bunting's friend and training partner, told the Phnom Penh Post, while complaining fund shortage.

Bunting said that athletes struggled also due to limited public interest in the face of more popular sports like football and boxing.

"Cambodians have little understanding of athletics. They are only interested in sports they can bet on," he added.

The government may not be able to meet their desperate demand for sponsor, equipment and training ground, but provided enough morale support instead to guarantee their confidence in participation of the games.

Cambodian Tourism Minister and NOCC President Thong Khon Tuesday donated 200 U.S. dollars for each of the six Cambodian athletes and trainers heading for the Beijing Olympics.

"I just visited them and offered them my personal money," he said, adding that he had asked the committee to raise their stipend, which is currently set at 50 U.S. dollars each athlete per month for three months prior to the games.

Meanwhile, NOCC is currently finalizing an agreement with South Korea which would allow Bunting to train in Seoul for two months before the games start.

Cambodia will send a 15-member delegation to take part in the Olympic Games with focus on swimming and marathon. King Norodom Sihamoni and Education Minister Kol Pheng are also planning to attend the opening ceremony.

It is not the first time Cambodia has sent athletes to the Olympics.

The first post-war delegation of five Khmers competed at the Atlanta Games in 1996, and Cambodia subsequently sent four athletes to both Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.