At the beginning of December, six of our young rugbywomen flew to Singapore to take part in a major sports tournament organised by the NGO Kampuchea Balopp (KB). We look back on four days rich in emotions, discoveries and encounters.

A weekend of great firsts!

Last Friday, December 6th, our young sportswomen went to the airport accompanied by their parents to join their teammates and coaches. For all of them, taking the plane was a brand new experience!

It was with great emotion that the families left, but the sadness of the farewells quickly gave way to the excitement of the first discoveries. On board the plane Chanminea tells us with great enthusiasm that she was able to see her house from the window! Morokot explains: “I was a bit scared at take-off and landing” as were Leakhena and Sethiseul… As for Sreylin, she really enjoyed the trip.

A competition under the sign of good spirits

The next day, a big rubgy tournament with more than 400 players awaited them. Invited by the Valkyries and the Tanglin Rubgy Club, the girls were able to take part in the Singlife Girls Rugby TRC Cup, Singapore’s Truth and Reconciliation Cup competition.

Chanminea recalls: “The competition was very tiring, I was often out of breath! ». Under the name of the KB Tigers, our players won the tournament. “There was a very good understanding between all the teams! ” says Sreylin. “Everyone was very happy to participate in the matches,” adds Panhchakpum.

Even though they didn’t win the competition, they fought valiantly on the pitch against teams from Singapore and Malaysia. Their commitment and motivation earned them many compliments from their hosts and they still brought home a medal!

Effort… but also comfort!

After a sporting day, the team was able to enjoy a break with a visit of the “Lion City”. On the program, a walk in Singapore, swimming pool and barbecue all in a joyful and good mood. They were all surprised by the cleanliness of the city. Panhchakpum tells us that she was struck by the large fish statue. Unanimously what they preferred was the splash in the pool!!!

On-site, they were accommodated in the families of the players of the Valkyries, the women’s rubgy team of the peninsula. All of them were very well received, some of them had brought thank-you gifts such as Sethiseul from the cuddly toys and Leakhena from the books. Sreylin recalls, “My host family made me a lot to eat! And the fruit didn’t taste the same as in Cambodia. »

This long weekend will have taught them great values and life lessons including team spirit and respect among many other things. A huge thank you to KB as well as to the hosts from Singapore for making this weekend a memorable one for our young girls.

PS … and if you find that Leakhena is moody in the pictures or that she is sometimes absent, it’s because she had the great idea to declare chicken pox right during the trip! Luckily, she was well cared for and was able to rest with the family that was hosting her during the stay.

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