Phnom Penh, May 23 (VNA) – Cambodia earned a total of nine gold, 13 silver and 41 bronze medals at SEA Games 31 hosted by Vietnam, ranking eighth in the medal tally, which is a giant leap compared to the 30th edition in the Philippines in 2019 when the country brought home only four gold medals, six silvers and 36 bronzes.

Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of National Olympic Authority of Cambodia (NOCC) and the National Organising Committee of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games 2023 (CAMSOC), praised the hard work of all Cambodian athletes and coaches at this year’s Games in Vietnam

The achievement is building more confidence of Cambodian athletes to perform well at the 32nd SEA Games hosted by the country next year, he added.

At the closing ceremony of SEA Games 31 slated for May 23 evening, Cambodia is to stage a 10-minute art performance following the handover of the SEA Games Federation flag from Vietnam.

Official theme and song for the upcoming Games will be revealed during the event, which also features a performance of bokator – Cambodia’s traditional martial art, according to Chamroeun.

The 32nd SEA Games is scheduled to take place on May 5-16, 2023. It will be the first time that Cambodia has hosted the biennial regional sporting event.

The upcoming edition is projected to feature 40 sports, excluding two Olympic sports of archery and shooting./.