Cambodia’s watersports, especially jet ski racing, are quickly becoming very strong. This growth will be proudly featured at the upcoming Darasakor Beach Cambodia Marine Tourism Festival. The four-day event, running from November 27th to 30th, will include exciting competitions and cultural shows.
The Big Event
The festival is set at the beautiful Darasakor Beach in Koh Kong province. A major jet ski race is authorized as one of the main attractions, which shows just how fast the sport is growing and how competitive it’s becoming in the country.
Meas Map, the Secretary-General of the Cambodia Jet Ski Federation, explained that having the race at such an important national tourism event highlights the sport’s rising profile, thanks to support from the Ministry of Tourism. He expects Cambodia’s top jet ski athletes to impress large crowds throughout the festival.
Champions on the Global Stage
Meas Map noted that jet ski racing is already popular worldwide, and Cambodia has huge potential in the sport. Cambodian athletes have proven this recently by winning gold, silver, and bronze medals at international and world-class competitions. The country now has a strong team of elite champions and several promising new athletes.
The Federation believes that showcasing jet ski sport at major national events, like the River Festival and Sea Festival, will help attract visitors from both inside and outside the country. This also helps raise awareness of Cambodia’s strength in watersports.
More Than Just Racing
The Ministry of Tourism is fully sponsoring the festival, working with various partners. Besides the jet ski competition, the event offers lots of other fun activities, including:
- A half-marathon and cycling race.
- Beach volleyball.
- Kun Khmer boxing.
- Public activities like a fishing contest.
Investing in Future Success
To make Cambodia’s team even stronger, national champion Saly Oumert recently made a big move: he bought an 11-hectare piece of land in Kratie province. This site is being developed into a dedicated training center called the “Ministry of Interior Jet Ski Track.”
This new track will be used to improve training for Cambodia’s national jet ski team as they get ready for major events, like the annual World Jet Ski series. The construction of the track (planned for 2024–2025) shows a significant private investment in the future success of Cambodian watersports.
