Abstract
ABSTRACT It has been generally recognised that sports mega-events are opportunities for host governments to gain non-sporting objectives through their hosting, such as increasing soft power and strengthening their administration. With such recognition, this article examines what type of soft power Cambodia has attempted to acquire and improve by hosting the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) for the first time in 2023. Despite the official summary of successful hosting, news outlets in participant countries perceived many aspects of this event as unfair in favour of the host country. However, this article indicates that the tactical exercise of host country privileges has been a characteristic of past SEA Games; therefore, a situation that might be considered a superficial loss of soft power would not be, in effect, a loss. Moreover, about the heated debate on the official naming of a local kickboxing event (Kun Khmer), which is a symbolic sport linked to Angkor Wat, this article argues that the Cambodian officials acted on this issue as part of their strategy to improve the nation’s branding and acquire soft power through niche sport, and they used the sports mega-event among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to gain global soft power outside ASEAN.
Published Version
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