Kazarian calls for glory

via Khmer NZ

Thursday, 15 July 2010 15:00 H S Manjunath

Armenian coach Stephen Kazarian appealed yesterday to the Cambodian sporting fraternity to restore traditional wrestling to its former glory. In his concluding remarks of the 10-day Olympic Solidarity coaching course he had conducted, Kazarian said the Kingdom’s wrestling heritage, which dates back to the Angkorian era, should be enriched again. “You have great potential,” the veteran coach said to the congregation, which included wrestling trainees and sports officials. “I want you to build on it. I am impressed by what I have seen and I can tell you a bright future awaits you. “The interaction with all of you was very satisfying. I am confident your coaching efforts would build a strong wrestling base.” When asked whether he would return to Cambodia, Kazarian gave a terse “why not”, adding that he would submit a report to wrestling’s governing body FINA on the vast improvement that Cambodia has made. “I would love to get back,” he said. The coaching course, which is a FINA initiative in under-privileged countries such as Cambodia, was attended by 25 local coaches including four women. The closing ceremony was presided over by Meas Sarin, undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports. Also in attendance were Hem Samnang, deputy secretary general of the NOCC, and Sim Touch, Vice president of the Wrestling Federation.