Thai Minister personally apologizes to Vietnamese athletes, will meet with coach Kim Sang-sik and his team about the National Anthem incident

Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn recently made a surprise appearance and apologized to the Vietnamese sports delegation for the incident related to the national anthem on December 3.

According to Thairath , Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn unexpectedly appeared at the match between the Vietnam baseball team and the Thailand baseball team, which took place at noon on December 5. After the match ended, Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn met with the Vietnamese athletes and apologized directly for the incident where Rajamangala Stadium could not play the national anthem in the opening match between U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Laos, which took place on December 3.

Thairath reporter expressed: "On December 5, 2025, Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports , Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn, had an interview at Sanam Luang about the noise surrounding the organization of the 33rd SEA Games. Before the interview, Mr. Atthakorn lamented that he really wanted to keep quiet. However, in the past 2-3 days, many people have been talking about him and forced him to speak up. He mentioned the mistakes in the preparation process for the SEA Games, which many people fear will affect Thailand's image.

Minister Atthakorn quickly apologized to Vietnam and Laos through the baseball team. It is expected that when the football matches take place, Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn will also be present to directly apologize to the athletes of the U.23 Vietnam and U.23 Laos teams.

Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports, Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn, visited the Vietnam baseball team.

PHOTO: KHAOSOD

Host Thailand continues to leave an ugly image when the baseball field is extremely bad.

In the baseball match between Vietnam and Thailand, the host team of SEA Games 33 showed impressive performance, defeating the Vietnam team with a score of 16-0. This was also the first victory of the Thai baseball team at SEA Games 33. However, according to the description of Khaosod page, this match was overshadowed by the SEA Games 33 Organizing Committee continuing to be criticized for not ensuring the playing conditions for the two teams.

Thai media criticizes SEA Games 33 Organizing Committee for terrible baseball field layout

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

Khaosod commented: “Southeast Asian fans were extremely shocked to see the 33rd SEA Games Organizing Committee using cloths to wipe the water on the ground at the baseball stadium. It is in a state of disrepair and many people were surprised, wondering why the Southeast Asian Games were held here. According to the explanation, the stadium in Thanyaburi district (Rangsit Khlong 6) had encountered heavy rain and accumulated rainwater, affecting the competition. But whatever the reason, it is clear that the 33rd SEA Games Organizing Committee has not come up with any solution, causing Thailand's image to be seriously affected by this incident. Perhaps that is why the baseball matches on December 5 did not have many local fans coming to watch. Those who came to the stadium were mainly foreigners, coming to cheer for their national teams.”

Watch SEA Games 33, side by side with the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, most fully onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bo-truong-thai-lan-dich-than-xin-loi-vdv-viet-nam-se-gap-thay-tro-hlv-kim-sang-sik-ve-vu-quoc-ca-185251205201124716.htm