PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia's athletes had a coming-of-age moment in May, when the country hosted the 2023 Southeast Asian Games. Large, passionate crowds, fed by free tickets and swollen by half-a-million visitors from more than 10 countries, made the games one of the most successful regional sports events in memory.
Among Cambodia's star athletes was the team competing in Brazilian jujitsu, widely called BJJ, which bagged three gold medals and five silvers -- the nation's biggest medal tally in the sport at the biennial games.
