Cambodia's government "approved the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia’s proposal to host the 2023 SEA Games, clearing the path for the Kingdom to realise a dream that was shattered in 1963," according to H. S. Manjunath of the PHNOM PENH POST. The NOCC "will formally place its bid for the biennial event" -- the second-largest in the region after the Asian Games -- before a 2015 SEA Games Executive Council meeting in Singapore. NOCC Secretary-general Vath Chamroeun said, "Allowing a margin for inflation and cost escalation over the next 10 years, we are estimating the organisational cost at three to four million dollars. But creating the infrastructure and developing human resources will cost us a lot more. Ten years may seem a faraway thought, but we need that time to be absolutely ready on all fronts, and the work has already begun." The NOCC will create infrastructure including the main stadium while "upgrading all other facilities for a two-week event that attracts thousands of athletes and officials from the 11 ASEAN nations" (PHNOM PENH POST, 3/4). XINHUA reported Cambodian PM Hun Sen said that "the big concern for hosting the SEA Games is not the sports facilities, but accommodation for about 7,000 athletes." Hun Sen: "As I know, Laos spent between 200 and 300 million US dollars to host this event (in 2009), so Cambodia needs time to host such event because it costs a lot of money. We have no choice, we don't have money" (XINHUA, 3/4).
