Cambodia fully supports China's hosting of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, national media on Wednesday quoted Thong Khon, Tourism Minister and chairman of the Olympic Committee of Cambodia (OCC), as saying.

The Cambodian government, OCC, as well as all the athletes and people of the country, support China's hosting of the games, the minister told Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News in an exclusive interview.

King Norodom Sihamoni will attend the opening ceremony in Beijing, and OCC will also send a delegation of over 10 members to participate in the games, he said.

"I am ready, too, to go to Beijing and watch the games," if the schedule permits, he added.

In the interview, Thong Khon stressed that the principle of "letting sports be sports" must be respected.

"You can't mix politics and sports into one thing and there should be a clear line between these two topics," he added.

Meanwhile, he said, the Olympic Games are an international activity held by the International Olympic Committee and attended by more than 100 countries and regions.

Neither any country nor organization is able to prevent the games from being conducted, he added.

During the interview, Thong Khon also expected the Beijing Olympics to succeed and benefit the whole world.

(Xinhua News Agency April 23, 2008)