Cambodia Investment Review
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Cambodian Wheelchair Basketball Federation (CWBF) successfully signed today the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a mutual understanding of cooperation and partnership to support the Cambodian wheelchair basketball team.
Read more: Cambodia’s Wheelchair Basketball Squads for 12th ASEAN Para Games 2023 Take Centre Stage
The MoU was signed by ICRC Physical Rehabilitation Program Manager Marc Zlot and CWBF President H.E. Ly Thuch in the presence of Mr. Seu Muy, Secretary General of CWBF and Mr. Gabriel Tan, Chief Communications Officer of Prince Holding Group, a partner of CWBF, at the ICRC office in Phnom Penh. The agreement serves as a pledge of mutual commitment in complementing each other’s duties and functions in supporting the sport of wheelchair basketball in Cambodia.
A wheelchair basketball league in Cambodia
Mr. Marc Zlot expressed his delight by saying, “ICRC looks forward to exploring together with CWBF avenues to increase social integration of persons with disabilities through wheelchair basketball sport. The signing of this MoU is the foundation to create a wheelchair basketball league in Cambodia and to promote social inclusion.”
“I am deeply grateful to the ICRC for their generous support of the Cambodian Wheelchair Basketball Team since 2012. This sponsorship has inspired the team to be successful and I hope that our men’s and women’s teams will be able to bring home a gold medal when Cambodia hosts the 12th ASEAN Para Games in May 2023,” added H.E. Dr. Ly Thuch.
Ensure people with disabilities have access
The first Cambodian wheelchair basketball team was created by the ICRC in 2012 to provide training and development opportunities for athletes with disabilities. Later on, CWBF was established by the ICRC and was officially recognized by Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in 2020.
The ICRC has continued supporting CWBF through Social Inclusion program which is a part of its Physical Rehabilitation Program (PRP). The Social Inclusion program is designed to ensure that people with disabilities have access to education, employment, vocational training and sporting and cultural activities.
In the 2022 (11th) ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia, the Cambodian women’s 3×3 wheelchair basketball team scored a monumental upset against Thailand to secure Cambodia’s first gold medal in the Games.
