The Khmer Swimming Federation (KSF) will hold a long-stance swimming competition this weekend. The Open Water Swimming Championship 2021, as the event is officially called, will be staged on November 7 at the Morodok Techo National Stadium, according to the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC). This comes after Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the ‘re-opening’ of Cambodia starting November 1. The Open Water Championship will be the first major event for the KSF since February. The KSF organised the 4th Hem Thon National Junior Swimming Championship 2021 nine months ago at the Olympic Stadium in Phnom Penh. Nearly a hundred participants from nine swimming clubs competed in the tournament. These include the Ministry of Public Works and Transport Swimming Club, Ministry of Information Swimming Club, Ministry of Economy and Finance Swimming Club, Oasis Swim Academy and Neak Reach Kampong Cham Swimming Club. KSF President Sun Chanthol has given his go-signal to the latest event, according to KSF Secretary-General Hem Kiry. Chanthol is also Cambodia’s Minister of Transport. Kiry said the competition will help promote long-distance swimming in the Kingdom. “Also, many of our national athletes have not competed for a long time due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he noted. Cambodia’s national athletes are currently training at the international-standard swimming pool in the new stadium, according to local media reports. There are two categories for the event: 3000m and 5,000m races. “We usually stage such events in a river, a sea or a lake. But due to the pandemic, we decided to change the venue,” the KSF official explained. In the past, long-distance swimming competition were staged during the River Festivals in Kandal and in the Sea Festivals in Koh Kong and Preah Sihanouk (Sihanoukville). In the future, according to Kiry, they have plans to hold 5-km and 10-km races. Strict health measures, including the wearing of face mask and social distancing, will be in place during the competition, according to NOCC.