It’s the year of sports for Cambodia as the nation gears up to host the SEA Games in May and the ASEAN Para Games in June – and there is one more exciting event the Kingdom will host for the first time in history, the Asia Pride Games 2023.

The finishing touches are currently being put in place for Cambodia to host the annual event after successfully bidding for it last year. “I hope this event helps to change people’s perspectives in Cambodia about the LGBT community,” said organiser Bong Nack.

What does Asia Pride Games 2023 involve?

The three-day event is expected to attract more than 200 competitors from LGBT communities in Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore head to Cambodia from May 25 to 28 to compete in volleyball, bowling, running and badminton.

Asia Pride Games
Entertainment at last year’s Pride event (by Bong Nack)

The sporting events will take place at Olympic Stadium, with the public invited to watch the action for free. In addition, there will be various telematches held on the sidelines for spectators to get involved in. These include traditional Khmer games, such as tug-of-war, to give overseas visitors a taste of local culture.

The Games will end with a grand gala dinner at Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh on May 28. Tickets are $60 and include food, free-flow drinks and entertainment.

It has received the stamp of approval from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.

Pride 2023

The Games will run alongside Cambodia’s annual Pride event, which includes a 5km Rainbow Run, a remork race, which will see teams of up to four people dash across the city in tuk tuks solving clues to win prizes, and heaps of other activities.

Evening events take in a Cambodian drag competition, fashion show, concerts and DJs. Confirmation is waiting but it is expected these events will also be held at Olympic Stadium.

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Tickets to watch Asia Pride Games 2023 are free. Registration for all of the events is available at https://khmer.lgbt/.

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