Developing physical education and sports movement in Khmer ethnic minority areas

Khmer people compete in carrying eggplants to catch water in An Cu commune. Photo: LE TRUNG HIEU

An Giang is a province with a large Khmer population. In order to preserve and promote cultural values imbued with national identity, the sports sector and local authorities focus on promoting propaganda and guiding Khmer people to participate in physical training. At the same time, mobilize social resources to invest in building cultural institutions, training grounds and organize regular sports exchanges and competitions.

Traditional sports tournaments are held regularly every year, attracting a large number of people to participate, contributing to creating a joyful and exciting atmosphere and becoming a traditional cultural activity of each locality. Mr. Chau Duong, resident of Nui Cam commune, said: "In recent years, the local government has paid attention to investing in playgrounds, helping people have a place to play sports and exercise. Now, in the commune and neighboring localities, there are many artificial turf football fields and volleyball courts that meet the needs of the people. Every day, after working hours, my brothers and I often gather to play volleyball in the neighborhood to exercise."

The authorities of communes with a large Khmer population have flexibly organized traditional sports to be integrated into traditional holidays, New Year, sports festivals, etc., contributing to enriching the spiritual life of the people. Popular sports such as football, volleyball, some traditional sports of the Khmer people such as dragon boat racing, stick pushing, tug of war, stilt walking, water-catching stilts, etc. are maintained and organized and widely responded by people from all walks of life.

Deputy Director of Tri Ton Commune General Service Center Thai Quoc Binh said: "Traditional sports tournaments for Khmer people in the commune are organized and maintained regularly every year, gradually becoming a daily routine, creating conditions for people to interact, learn, exchange experiences, and build solidarity between ethnic communities."

In recent years, the sports competitions at the Khmer Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festival of the province have been organized by the Department of Culture and Sports in coordination with localities with a large Khmer population. The festival not only contributes to maintaining and developing traditional sports but also helps the sports industry select talented athletes to train, nurture and compete in regional and national tournaments.

Chau Soc Kha, a resident of Tri Ton commune, regularly participates in sports activities, especially football and tug of war. In addition to exercising, he also participates in sports competitions and sports festivals organized by the locality and province, both to exchange and learn and to contribute to preserving the traditional sports of the nation. "I hope that in the future, the locality will organize more sports competitions and sports festivals with traditional sports so that we have the opportunity to compete in talent and strengthen solidarity among ethnic groups," said Kha.

To promote the strengths of traditional sports, the provincial sports sector continues to coordinate with departments, branches, organizations and localities to strengthen the organization of tournaments and sports festivals, and at the same time, include many traditional sports in the competition content. In particular, the province gradually improves the quality of organizing the Khmer Cultural, Sports and Tourism Festival to develop traditional sports, preserve and promote the unique cultural values of the Khmer people, and strengthen solidarity and cohesion in the ethnic communities living in the province.

LE TRUNG HIEU

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/phat-trien-phong-trao-the-duc-the-thao-vung-dong-bao-khmer-a462434.html