H.E. Thong Khon: France did two great things for Cambodia at Paris Olympics

H.E. Dr. Thong Khon, Senior Minister and President of the Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), stated that France, the host nation, has done two outstanding things, making Cambodia extremely honored to represent it in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The opening ceremony featured a specially designed boat for the athletes from Cambodia, he explained, and the closing ceremony featured a performance by renowned Cambodian rapper Vann Da.

H.E. made this statement on the morning of August 14, 2024, to celebrate Vann Da's return to Cambodia. The international rapper from Cambodia was chosen to perform at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics 2024 last weekend. H.E. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport and Secretary General of the NOCC, also attended the reception.

He also mentioned that the French host of this year's Olympic Games paid tribute to two significant Cambodians: Initially, despite the small number of athletes from Cambodia, the host granted precedence to a different boat so as to avoid mixing with the nation. Second, considering that Cambodia has a music industry that is still developing compared to the rest of the world, France's invitation of Cambodian rapper Vanda is a huge honor.

“I express my gratitude to Vann Da on behalf of the Cambodian Olympics for his great honor bestowed upon our nation. Vann Da consistently takes part in national sporting events, including national sports ceremonies and the opening and closing ceremonies of the SEA Games,” said H.E.

“Of course, the world Olympic movement, particularly the Olympic movement in Cambodia, was greatly impacted by Nephew Vann Da's attendance at the Olympic Games closing ceremony. Rap music is the current generation's passion, so I believe this is a huge movement for our youth, especially the rappers. This year marks the 33rd Olympics, and the host has scheduled more sports,” he added.

In response, Vann Da said, “I want to express my gratitude to Samdech Thipadei and Samdech Hun Sen personally. Samdech Hun Sen is quite proud of this performance, based on what I saw in his Facebook posts, as is Samdech Thipadei. I hope that Samdech Hun Sen and Samdech Thipadei will continue to lead healthy lives and have many more successes in leading the country of Cambodia.”