Eight skilled martial artists, wearing black uniforms with white belts, demonstrate cane, knife, and advanced punching, kicking, and wrestling techniques. When combined, these unique techniques are known as pencak silat. This is a full-body combat form that incorporates striking, grappling, and throwing.
Pencak Silat is Indonesia's national sport, but it is also embraced by soldiers of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF). Dedicated athletes of their own talents are loyal members of the Royal Armed Forces.
The International Pencak Silat Federation was founded in 1948, and the sport was first competed at the 1987 Southeast Asia (SEA) Games and the 2018 Asian Games, hosted by Indonesia. This unique martial art was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List in December 2019, three years before Cambodia added Lubocatl to the same list in November 2022.
Indonesia and Cambodia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on training exchange between Lubokator and Pencak Silat on June 22, 2022. The signing ceremony was held at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh and was attended by then Prime Minister Hun Sen. Mr. Prabowo Subianto, Minister of Defense of Indonesia and President of the International Pencak Silat Federation.
Through this memorandum, Saudi Arabia sent 28 women, most of them Lubocatl athletes and soldiers, to undergo pencak silat training in Indonesia, along with two coaches. At the same time, Cambodia dispatched two Lubocatre instructors to train Indonesian athletes in preparation for the 32nd SEA Games, which Cambodia will host in 2023.
mutual success
As a result of this bilateral cooperation, athletes from both countries were able to win gold medals at the 2023 SEA Games, with the Cambodian team winning two gold medals and eight bronze medals in the Pencak Silat event. In the Lubokator competition, nine members of the 5th Military Region won one gold medal and four bronze medals, while the Indonesian team won three gold medals, five silver medals, and 12 bronze medals.
Following the success of the SEA Games in May 2023, Cambodia has decided to re-establish the Cambodia Pencak Silat Federation with a completely new structure. The federation's general meeting was held on February 18 at the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) to begin its first mandate, 2024-2027.
During the meeting, participants elected six military personnel as executive committee members of the new federation. Major General Seng Thearin, Deputy Commander of the 5th Army Division and Chief of Army Staff, was appointed as chairman, and Brigadier General Shin Tum, commander of the 51st Infantry Brigade, was appointed as permanent deputy chief. Mr. Ou Dara was appointed as Secretary-General.
“I highly appreciated the spirit of the first general meeting of the Cambodian Pencak Silat Federation. We all come from different backgrounds, but we share a sense of family and we will work hard to organize the federation,” says Thearin.
To promote the sport, he is asking the executive committee to develop the skills of federation officials and knowledgeable coaches who can organize national and international competitions. In this way, we can develop athletes with the will, discipline, ethics and ability to win on the international stage.
“We still do not fully understand all the techniques of this sport, but we have the will to master it. We hope that many men and women involved in the sport will participate and bring glory to the country. ” he says.
confident leadership
“Now that we have decided to do this, we have to make it successful. We trust Ou Dara because we have cooperated for many years in other areas. The federation is the first We believe it will operate smoothly and successfully during the mission,” he explains.
Ou Dara has in-depth knowledge of martial arts events, including demonstrations and combat. He is also the Deputy Secretary General of the Cambodian Kun Bokator Federation.
“Most of the leaders we have chosen are military commanders. We have worked together to accomplish various missions in the world of martial arts, especially in the world of Lubocatre,” he said.
“After many years of working together, we have come to know each other's hearts and minds and have formed this federation. I am in charge of its operations as Secretary General. Our Executive Structure “It can be said that the team is strong and has leaders who are motivated to popularize and raise the profile of martial arts. I believe this will lead to more medals on the international stage,” he added.
Military man Sim Sok David won the gold medal in the artistic Tungal (single) Puchak Silat event at the 2023 SEA Games in his home country.
He expressed his pleasure at the official re-establishment of the Cambodian Pencak Silat Federation, noting that this should provide a strong foundation for the training of athletes and lead to increased success in competitions.
“I am happy to have founded the federation because I believe in having a clear training program and balanced coaches to train the team.'' I myself am also keen to avoid disappointing my parents. I would like to improve my abilities so that I can continue to win medals.”
The 23-year-old shared his confidence in the federation's executive committee, mostly military personnel.
“I know our leadership very well and have 100 percent trust in them. Their work is always clear and thorough, whether in the military or in the world of martial arts. “We have organized a network of coaches who will train our defense forces in martial arts, and I believe they will definitely take the federation forward,” he says.
