Raid Amazones Hunts Cambodia's Cultural Treasure at Angkor
Alexandre Debanne, founder of Raid Amazones, during an interview on March 2 in Siem Reap city. Photo: Ky Chamna
- By Ky Soklim
- March 10, 2024 7:00 PM
SIEM REAP — Nearly 300 Western participants will be facing each other during a 6-day women competition that will be held in and around the ancient capital of the Khmer kingdom in Siem Reap province.
Held from March 15 through 20, the Raid Amazones participants will compete in a series of physical and mental activities such as trail running, canoeing, biking, treasure hunting in and around the Angkor Archaeological Park.
Around 280 women will be taking part in the event. While many of them are from France, there also will be participants from Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and North America.
“The women neither have to be athletes nor be really good at sport,” said Alexandre Debanne, founder of Raid Amazones, during an interview on March 2. “Raid Amazones is not only a sport event, but also a life experience. We also talk about women empowerment, learn about new countries, new people and new cultures."
The all-women event will also be an opportunity for the participants to learn about Cambodia’s history and culture, he said. “Cambodia is for now like a hidden pearl of Asia.
“Many people go to Thailand, but now people want to try something new and more authentic. Cambodia is exactly that,” he said.
This will be the fourth time that Raid Amazones is taking place in Cambodia. The event, which first took place in 2001, was held in the country in 2014, 2017 and 2018.
“This year, there will be two events in Cambodia,” Debanne said. “The second one will be in November…Normally, there would only be one event per country per year.”
Vath Chamroeun, general secretary of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, pointed out that the organisers have distributed information about Cambodia in advance to the participants.
“Even though it is a sports event, the activities also help spread the image of Cambodia on the global stage,” he said. “When they return, they might become goodwill ambassadors [for Cambodia] in their home countries.”
Caption: Vath Chamroeun, general secretary of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, during an interview on March 8 in Phnom Penh city. Photo: Moeurn Makthong
The women will be in teams of two or three. The racecourse will be set for each specific date. Participants will compete in various places such as the fishing village of Kampong Khleang, the Phnom Krom temple located on a hill at the northern end of the Tonle Sap lake as well as dirt trials through the villages. Spectators will be welcome to watch the runners every day of the event.
Besides Cambodia, competitions of Raid Amazones have been held in Guyana, Reunion Island, Mauritius, Kenya, Mayotte in the Indian Ocean, Malaysia, Bali, the U.S. state of California, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Ky Chamna contributed to the story.
