Cambodia concludes 2nd National Bokator Championship

Cambodia here on Friday concluded the matches of its second National Bokator Championship, which aims to highlight the indigenous Khmer martial art.

More than 200 fighters from all over the country have competed for gold, silver and bronze medals at three levels including 70 kg, 65 kg and 60 kg of weight, at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh from Tuesday to Friday.

Meanwhile, there were also two performing martial art competitions, including martial art with long stick for men and martial art with short stick for woman.

Bo Chum Sary, under-secretary of state of the Cambodian Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, presided over the closing ceremony on Friday and handed over the gold medal to San Sovanara, the winner of the level of 70 kg.

Bo Chum Sary said that this traditional martial art of Cambodia, bokator, is the heritage from their ancestors which carved on the wall of Angkor temples.

The bokator martial art was used in the war in the past and Cambodian people always fought to find the strongest person in village while they were holding traditional ceremonies after the rice harvest, he said.

Currently, there are bokator clubs in 10 out of the 20 strong provinces of Cambodia and no more than 1,000 people have been found playing the craft.

Source: Xinhua