The 33rd SEA Games, which will take place in Thailand from December 9 to 20, 2025, has been forced to make significant changes to its plans. All 10 events originally scheduled to be held in the southern province of Songkhla will be moved to Bangkok due to severe flooding and concerns about the safety of the venues after the water recedes.
Mr. Chalitrat Chantarubeksa - Deputy Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT) revealed that during the discussion, the participating countries expressed serious concerns. These concerns revolved around whether the floodwaters would recede in time and whether the facilities could be prepared in time, as well as the condition of the competition venues after the floods.
However, the information about changing the competition venue does not affect much the preparation of the Vietnam U22 team.
As the host nation, Thailand is also considering how to compensate participating nations, as many athletes have missed out on booking flights and accommodation in Songkhla. Compensation measures for teams that have already paid for their flights and accommodation are currently being considered.
After the host Thailand hastily changed the competition venue, a big surprise came to the 33rd SEA Games Organizing Committee when Cambodia suddenly withdrew from 8 competitions. The simultaneous withdrawal caused many events to be urgently rearranged. Facing the risk of the competition losing its competitiveness, the 33rd SEA Games Organizing Committee was forced to hold an emergency meeting at the Thai Government Office , chaired by Minister of Tourism & Sports Attakorn Sirilatthayakon.
On the afternoon of November 27, the Organizing Committee of the host country of the 33rd SEA Games held a meeting and made the final decision on the men's football tournament. As a result, Singapore, the team in the 4th seed group in Group C, was transferred to Group A to replace Cambodia. As a result, the men's football tournament will return to a balanced format with 3 groups, each group consisting of 3 teams.
Objective and subjective problems have forced host Thailand to hastily deal with an unexpected crisis before the opening day of the SEA Games is approaching.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh hopes and believes that the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, coaches and athletes participating in the SEA Games will bring with them the spirit of overcoming difficulties, strong will and courage to each race and each match and achieve the highest results, so that the "red flag with yellow star" will fly high in the regional arena, bringing glory to the Fatherland.
The Prime Minister requested that each cadre, coach, and athlete be fully aware of their responsibility to “compete with all their might, surpass themselves”, consider each match and game as a final; compete with the greatest effort, highest determination, break their personal records, and aim for regional records.
Source: https://baophapluat.vn/chua-khai-mac-sea-games-33-da-gap-bien-co.html
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