Sports delegations arrive in Thailand, and problems arise

Sports delegations at the Flag Raising Ceremony on December 8. (Photo: Anh Thang)

After the sports delegations arrived in Thailand, Thana Chaiprasit, Head of the Thai sports delegation, and his colleagues held a meeting with the heads of delegations from 10 Southeast Asian countries to listen to their feedback on the organization of the event.

According to Thana Chaiprasit, the number of athletes and officials registered to participate in the 33rd SEA Games is approximately 10,000. The large influx of people to Bangkok has created several problems. First, there's the issue of transportation. Many groups of athletes, after landing at Suvarnabhumi Airport, had to wait 5-6 hours to board their vehicles. This is believed to be due to errors in the coordination process, as well as some inaccuracies in the number count.

Also related to transportation, some delegations have reported a lack of adequate transportation options for athletes to reach training locations. This wastes time during competition preparation and affects the delegation's plans.

Food and drink also presented challenges. Initially, the organizers considered preparing boxed lunches, but some argued this was inappropriate for a large event, so they switched to a buffet format to offer more variety and provide a more complete nutritional experience.

Additionally, Muslim-majority countries complained about the lack of Halal food at hotels, urging host country Thailand to rectify the situation promptly to ensure compliance with religious guidelines. Countries such as Brunei, Malaysia, Timor-Leste, and Indonesia requested that hotels provide 100% halal food instead of generic meals. Finally, some noted a lack of uniformity in accommodation arrangements for athletes from a particular country and hoped for adjustments.

The head of the Thai sports delegation said that all reports had been reviewed, compiled, and submitted to higher levels for prompt resolution. Thana Chaiprasit also pledged that after the opening ceremony on December 9th, officials from each department would be assigned to promptly address any arising issues.

"As the host country, the Organizing Committee will expedite coordination with relevant parties to comprehensively address all shortcomings, from transportation to food provision, in order to ensure the comfort of sports delegation members from all countries throughout the SEA Games," he affirmed.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/cac-doan-the-thao-da-toi-thai-lan-va-nhung-rac-roi-nay-sinh-post1803094.tpo