Rugby, a vector of social integration in Cambodia

She was baptized “Kampuchea Ballop“, “kiss the ball in Cambodia”. Ballop is also the name given to rugby now in the country. The association was created by Parisian Nicolas Olivry, a wine merchant in the region, present in Asia for 25 years, and a rugby player since the age of 11.

“There are many NGOs that provide education, nutrition, there are even orphan centers, notes the Frenchman, but ultimately there is very little sport, so we developed an education program through sport and with the values ​​of rugby. We want to give children this chance to see what rugby can offer more than just a sport.”

Several times a week, it welcomes up to a thousand street or disabled children, aged between 5 and 18 years old. The NGO works with around twenty other associations throughout Cambodia.

“We go there, pick up the children, take them to the land we rent to do activities, he continues. We bring them back because no one has any infrastructure.”

For three or four years, these operations have been extended to public schools outside the capital. The NGO is financed by donations from individuals and companies, in Cambodia, but also in France. Khmer educators, trained in Cambodia, introduce them to rugby and what the game offers.

“We actually wanted to develop a program around rugby, which has the universal values ​​that bring us together, on sharing and respect for others. And the children take great pleasure in playing rugby, as a means of letting off steam, and at the same time, convey these messages of values ​​which help each of them to build themselves.”

A 10-a-side rugby tournament

Even if boxing, volleyball and football remain the most popular sports in Cambodia, rugby has started to make its mark since the mid-1990s. The Khmer kingdom has its own XV game federation, although it could be more active, recognizes Nicolas Olivry, whose great pride is to organize the “Cambodia Tens”an international rugby 10 tournament, which brings together many countries.

“We welcome around 25 teams who come from all over Asia, and even further afield, explains the Frenchman. Last year, we had 32 teams from Australia, France or Japan. It’s a social tournament. We take the opportunity to play exhibition matches with our young protégés from Kampuchea Ballop and this allows us to shed light on our association.”

Due to the World Cup, the event was postponed this year to the weekend of November 11.

Cambodia now has many Oval fans. Some bars and large restaurants even broadcast World Cup matches on giant screens in the country’s major cities, even if the time difference with France means that the evening’s matches are broadcast in the middle of the night in Cambodia.

The René-Descartes French high school in Phnom Penh will take advantage of the event to emphasize rugby during physical education classes, with the support of sports educators from the Kampuchea Ballop association. For its tenth anniversary this year, the NGO sent four of its trainers to Europe and France to attend World Cup matches and meet amateur rugby clubs for discussions.

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The association Kampuchea Ballop in Phnom Penh

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