Tennis history in Cambodia
The sport of tennis in Cambodia had a strong following in the 1950’s and 1960’s before the Khmer Rouge destroyed the sport and its foundations. In its heyday tennis was greatly enjoyed by many spectators including a young Prince Sihanouk as fan of the tennis legend Mr. Tep Kunnah, ranked number one in Cambodia at the time. Cambodian tennis players dominated regional tournaments and youths chose tennis players as role models in life and the sport as a learning tool to stir competition and achievements. Matches were played in many different venues around the country including the Olympic Stadium and exclusive country clubs like Le Cercle Sportif.
The sport of tennis faded away from Cambodian life for a good three decades after the Khmer Rouge takeover but the spirit of tennis lives on through veterans and passionate individuals who want to revive the sport.
Tennis Federation of Cambodia
The Tennis Federation of Cambodia is a sports institution created by tennis aficionados with the desire to revive tennis in Cambodia. Founded in 1995 with H.E. Cham Prasidh as President, the Federation has the mission to promote, organize, and develop the sport of tennis along with a vision to bring Cambodia tennis to a highly competitive level in the Asia region.
The Federation holds quality programs targeted towards education, training, and competitive level playing for current and prospective players. The Mini Tennis and Education program collaborates with 25 public schools in Cambodia and 5000 enrolled students to teach basic tennis skills and encourage competitive playing. Athletes wishing to play tennis can go to a Federation sponsored Club as a venue to polish their skills and spend their afternoon playing a sport they love. Additionally, the Federation has annual tennis tournaments consisting of one national tournament, one international memorial tournament, and two times the Cambodian Open. Beside these tournaments, the Federation also organizes three youth tennis tournaments annually. For high-caliber tennis players, the Federation sponsors a national team to compete at the international level against players from other countries.
Since 1995 the Federation has made significant strides towards its mission and vision. There are 3 Khmer coaches and 3 international coaches. Most recently, the Federation acquired a well-respected American tennis coach named Robert Davis who has 19 years experience with professional tennis. Players in the national team have won medals in singles and doubles tournaments organized by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and the latest prize was a bronze medal at the 2007 Southeast Asia Games held in Thailand.
Today’s sponsors
Amnig is chosen as today’s primary sponsor because it is a Khmer-owned apparel company with great success in its own right. The 30 youths showcased today wear tennis uniforms and hats produced by Amnig.
The Cambodia Country Club (CCC) had its official launch second quarter in 2009 as a multi-purpose facility with many activities for youths, adults, and families. The CCC generously provided its facilities to display tennis pride in Cambodia.
Achievements
- Selection of capable coaches
- Invited and attended annual Asian Tennis Federation (A.T.F.) meetings in Qatar and Philippines
- Continual education training (Level 2) for coaches in Jakarta, Indonesia
- Coaches attend skills seminar sponsored by the Cambodia National Olympic Committee
- Work with 25 schools and 5000 students to teach and promote the sport of tennis
- Work with the Cambodia National Olympic Committee to pave tennis development plan
- 1 player enrolled in summer tennis training in France (2009)
Domestic Tournaments
- Annual Cambodia National Olympic Committee Tournament since 1995
- Annual Tep Kunnah Memorial Cup since 1995
- Annual Mini Tennis Tournament since 2005
- Annual Cambodia Open since 2008
International Tournaments
- Under 14 tournaments
- 2 silver medals won at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for Men’s Single and Women’s categories held in Pakistan
- 1 gold medal won at the International Tennis Federation (ITF) Men’s Doubles category held in Bangladesh
- Invitation to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) World Youth Tournament held in Indonesia Open after successfully qualifying in Malaysia for Men’s Single category
-1 bronze medal won at Southeast Asia Games for Men’s Single category held in Thailand
Upcoming Events
-Cambodia Open 2009 to be held at the Cambodia Country Club (CCC) on August 21-30, 2009
-25th annual Southeast Asia Games in Laos on December 9-18, 2009
{3 men players, 2 women players, 2 coaches, 1 TFC Secretary General}
When is it?( August-31-2009 )
The title suggests there's some kind of tennis open day for kids being held somewhere, sometime.
Did I miss the details?
TEnnis kids day( September-29-2009 )
There was a tennis kids day in August. More than 30 kids participated in a full day of games and kid's training. Please send us your email adress so we can send you some info for the next one.
TFC - skith [at] devenco [dot] com [dot] kh