The four-day congress has been convened in response to growing calls from the Vovinam community for the creation of a regulated body in the region to administer the sport in an organised fashion.

“There is a strong Vovinam presence in Cambodia and the Federation here has taken the lead in putting together this congress which will endorse the new regional body,” said of National Olympic Committee of Cambodia Secretary General Vath Chamroeun.

“It is an important step because Vovinam has been introduced as a medal sport for the first time in next year’s SEA Games in Indonesia.”

An Honour Belt promotion ceremony and a Vovinam International Friendship Show will feature in next week’s congress, according to Rat Sokhorn, Minister-Adviser to the President of the Cambodian National Assembly and President of the Cambodian Vovinam Federation.  

Meanwhile, the NOCC is getting ready for its General Assembly in January at a date to be confirmed. The Assembly will undertake a review of the NOCC’s activities during the past year, while setting up the agenda for the next.

An aquatic centre built at a cost of around US$100,000 in Kampot will be officially inaugurated on December 27.

The majority of the cost for the facility has come from Olympasia Projects, a funding programme to promote noble sports and Olympic principles set up by the Olympic Council of Asia in collaboration with Olympic Solidarity and Daimler Chrysler.