Aerial photo taken on July 28, 2021 shows the China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. (China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Handout via Xinhua)
The China-funded national stadium with 60,000 seats will serve as the main venue for tournaments when Cambodia hosts the Southeast Asian Games in 2023.
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Construction work on a China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, had been completed despite the impact of COVID-19, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon said on Tuesday.
Aerial photo taken on May 17, 2021 shows the China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. (China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Handout via Xinhua)
Khon, who is also the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, said the 60,000-seat stadium will serve as the main venue for tournaments when Cambodia hosts the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2023.
"The stadium is a great achievement in Cambodia's sports sector, and it is a new symbol of the unbreakable iron-clad friendship between Cambodia and China," he told Xinhua.
Aerial photo taken on July 28, 2021 shows the China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. (China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Handout via Xinhua)
"It will not only support the development of the sports sector but also serve as a magnet to attract tourists, especially the Chinese, to Cambodia in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era," he added.
Aerial photo taken on July 28, 2021 shows the China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. (China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Handout via Xinhua)
"The stadium is the largest gift that the government and people of China provided to the government and people of Cambodia," he said. "It truly reflects the profound friendship between the two governments and peoples."
Aerial photo taken on July 28, 2021 shows the China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. (China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Handout via Xinhua)
Developed by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) under China's grant aid, the construction work on the project started in August 2017. The stadium was built in the shape of a "sailing ship" in which its both prows are 99 meters tall, and it was encircled by an ancient Angkor-style moat.
Aerial photo taken on July 28, 2021 shows the China-funded national stadium in Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. (China State Construction Engineering Corporation/Handout via Xinhua)
Khon said the stadium had also been equipped with hotels, sportswear shops, equipment shops, and other facilities.■
