Yesterday (December 10th), the Cambodian sports delegation announced its withdrawal from all events at the 33rd SEA Games. This is truly shocking news for the Southeast Asian sports community, as just one day earlier, Cambodia had participated in the parade at the opening ceremony of the tournament.
The Cambodian sports delegation withdrew from the SEA Games, just one day after attending the opening ceremony (Photo: AFP).
This event received significant attention from the press across Southeast Asia. The Nation newspaper (Thailand) commented: “Although Cambodia was very impressed by the warm welcome from host Thailand, they decided to withdraw due to concerns for the safety of their 137 athletes and officials. Notably, on December 9th, the Cambodian sports delegation had just participated in the parade at the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games.”
The Bangkok Post (Thailand) wrote: “SEA Games President Chaiyapak Siriwat said that 30 members of the Cambodian delegation attended the opening ceremony on December 9th. They were very impressed by the warm welcome from Thailand.”
However, at 2 a.m., Mr. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the Cambodian National Olympic Committee, informed him that the athletes' parents were concerned about potential disruptions to their children's travel arrangements. That was why Cambodia wanted to withdraw all athletes back home.”
The Cambodian sports delegation's withdrawal from the 33rd SEA Games is shocking news for the Southeast Asian sports community (Photo: Siam Sport).
CNN Indonesia reported that the Cambodian sports delegation, concerned about security issues in Thailand, decided to withdraw all 137 athletes and officials. For the same reason, Cambodia had previously withdrawn from eight events two weeks before the opening ceremony.
Singapore's CNA newspaper emphasized: "In a letter to the organizing committee, the President of the Cambodian Olympic Committee (NOCC), Vath Chamroeun, admitted his regret at having to withdraw all Cambodian athletes before they could compete in the SEA Games. Mr. Vath Chamroeun stressed that the reason for this stemmed from the request of the athletes' parents, who wanted to ensure the safety of their children."
According to CNA, Cambodia once withdrew all its athletes from the SEA Games in 1959 (also hosted by Thailand) due to political tensions between the two countries.
CNA also quoted a statement from the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) affirming: “We remain committed to the SEA Games as an important platform for regional sport, cooperation and friendship and believe that the Games will continue to be held in this spirit.”
The Malaysian newspaper Manka Bola quoted Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the Cambodian Olympic Committee (NOCC), as admitting that withdrawing was a difficult decision for the Cambodian sports delegation. This was because the NOCC highly appreciated the efforts of the Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee of Thailand (THASOC) and the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT).
At the same time, NOCC also apologized if their decision affected the SEA Games 33 and expressed gratitude for the support and understanding of the two organizations.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/bao-dong-nam-a-binh-luan-ve-viec-campuchia-rut-lui-toan-bo-o-sea-games-20251210230842496.htm
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