MUMBAI: Officials of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) were in Cambodia recently to lobby for the inclusion of cricket in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, local media has reported.
The ACC delegation was led by ACC development chairman/executive board member Mahinda Vallipuram, Cambodia’s Khmer Times reports.
In an interview to the daily on Monday, Vallipuram revealed that they discussed the inclusion of cricket during a meeting with National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) secretary-general Vath Chamroeun and other Cambodian sports officials.
“We received some positive feedback from them. We are hoping for more positive news in the coming weeks,” he said.
The host country’s Olympic Committee makes the decision in consultation with the other members of the SEA Games Federation Council (SGFC).
The initial list of 40 sports that will be included in the next SEA Games was announced during the SGFC meeting in Siem Reap in April.
Cricket is among the sports that are waiting for the SGFC’s decision next month. Also on the list are equestrian, pencak silat, obstacle race and fencing, local media reported.
Phnom Penh will host the next SGFC meeting from July 11 to 13.
The inclusion of cricket, according to him, will be beneficial, not only for Cambodia, but also for other countries in Southeast Asia.
Vallipuram said their effort is backed by the cricket federations in Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
“Cricket is the second most-watched sports in the world,” he pointed out. “It will be an important step for Cambodia if cricket will be included in the next SEA Games.”
Vallipuram said the ACC is willing to assist Cambodia develop its facilities if cricket makes the list. The ACC, which counts 25 member countries, is the governing body for cricket in Asia.
