First ice skating rink opens in Cambodia COOL DIGS by JULIE MASIS Until recently, the residents of Cambodia
— a small Southeast Asian country where tem- peratures rarely fall below 80 degrees — saw ice only inside their beverage glasses. However, this
The first rink in Cambodia offers youngsters a great place to exercise and cool down.
summer, Cambodians began enjoying frozen wa- ter in a new way: on an ice skating rink. Te country’s first rink opened on the top floor of a children’s indoor entertainment center
in Cambodia’s capital of Phnom Penh on June 1, to mark International Children’s Day. Owned by a local businessman who learned
to skate in Korea, the ice rink was built after sev- eral shopping malls invested in “Magic Ice” skat- ing surfaces. Magic ice, which is a fancy term for plastic, however, failed to captivate the locals as much as the real stuff. Indeed, being cold is considered exotic in Cambodia, where people spend much of their time trying to fight the heat. Air conditioning can cost more than rent, shower water can feel like it’s boiling, gloves are used to protect hands from tanning, and no sport — except swimming — can be enjoyed before sunset. On a recent afternoon, visitors to the ice rink said they loved the cool temperatures in the room — about 50 degrees — as much as the skating. Parents sat on benches watching their children take their first steps on the ice. Others took photos of themselves in their skating outfits. “It feels like I’m in another country. Now we
have winter in Cambodia,” said 16-year-old An I Younan, who was watching his friends learn to skate. “I did not realize that it would be so cold in here. If I had known that it would be so cold, I would have brought my jacket.” A figure skating coach arrived from the Phil-
ippines — its first rink opened 21 years ago — to teach Cambodian roller skaters to skate on ice. Gloves, socks and recreational hockey skates were brought in. A sound and light system was in- stalled. An hour of skating costs $10 for children and $12 for adults. Despite the high cost in a country where many people don’t make more than $2 per day, many skaters said the experience is worth it. “I would come back again because we have a
lot fun here even though the ticket is expensive,” 22-year-old Tong Panhna said. Cambodia is not the first tropical country where the winter sport has become popular in
Rink owner Meng Hieng hopes that by introducing ice skating to Cambodia’s youth, someday the country may join an ice skating federation. 40 OCTOBER 2013
PHOTOS BY JULIE MASIS
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