In the home stretch to the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, the diplomatic network and the overseas territories awarded the ‘Terre de Jeux 2024’ label are inviting the world to celebrate sport by organizing a major ‘Relay around the world’ across the five continents for 24 hours. For the third time, the French Embassy in Cambodia is taking part in this exceptional event.
The ‘Relay around the world’ (‘Relais autour du monde’) organized by the French Embassy in Cambodia is part of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs’ commitment to sharing the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and celebrating sport around the world. The event brought together some 200 participants at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh, with a single objective: to add up the laps completed by each runner over a 45-minute period, to obtain the greatest cumulative distance possible, and to see just how far the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games could take participants!
The French Embassy in Cambodia was committed to put equality and inclusion at the heart of its Relay. Beneficiaries of the NGO Kampuchea Sëla Handicap, which cares for adults with disabilities, the Rabbit School, which works to integrate people with mental disabilities, and the NGOs Shanty Town Spirit, AEC-Foyer Lataste and Enfants d’Asie, which help vulnerable children and disadvantaged populations, took part in the race.
His Excellency Dr. Samedy Sivathana, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, inaugurated the event and took part in the Relay. The French Ambassador, Mr. Jacques Pellet, presented the seven Cambodian volunteers selected as part of the Paris 2024 Volunteers program, who will fly to France shortly to carry out a civic service mission.
The Relay of the French Embassy in Cambodia also intended to promote and highlight physical activity, a major public health issue in the fight against the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, by welcoming the participation of Cambodian athlete Mr. Chhun Bunthorn, gold medallist in the 800-metre event at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games. Finally, young people were in the spotlight with the participation of many students from the Lycée français René Descartes (LFRD) and the Ecole française Internationale (EFI).
Sports and solidarity initiatives that ‘open up the Games’
While in Cambodia, for reasons linked to weather conditions, the Relay around the world will take place ahead of schedule on February 16, 2024, the event is part of the 24-hour sports relay organized by Paris 2024 and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. This relay crosses the five continents, all the time zones of the planet and will involve the general public as well as the world of sport through the mobilisation of French embassies abroad and the overseas departments, regions and communities (DROM-COM) labelled ‘Terre de Jeux 2024’. This sporting event, organized for the third time, demonstrates the unique ability of sport to bring the whole world together, thanks to the energy of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Last year, 128 French embassies, consulates, permanent representations and overseas collectivities with the ‘Terre de Jeux 2024’ label took part in the relay, showcasing sports and athletes from each country. The relay began in New Zealand, then crossed Oceania, Asia, Europe, Africa and America, before finishing in the Pacific, in French Polynesia.
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