The coach was furious because Vietnamese athletes were treated unfairly, leading his team to abandon the match midway through the SEA Games 33.

(NLĐO) - Feeling unfairly treated in the semi-final match against the Philippines, the Vietnamese Muay Thai coach threw a water bottle and led his students away from the match at the SEA Games 33.

In the 45kg Muay Thai category at the 33rd SEA Games, Vietnamese fighter Hoang Khanh Mai dominated the match, landing precise blows that sent her Filipino opponent, Islay Erika Bomogao, to the canvas. However, the victory went to the Filipino athlete, as the judges awarded the win to her opponent instead of Khanh Mai in the first two rounds of the match on December 16th.

Outraged by the referee's decision, Khánh Mai's head coach, Mr. Cổ Tấn Anh Linh, didn't hesitate to throw a water bottle onto the mat and lead his players to abandon the match midway. In that situation, the referee could only helplessly call Khánh Mai back to compete.

Khánh Mai (in red) dominated the match but was declared the loser in both halves by the referee (Photo: PhilStar)

The match could not continue, and Islay was therefore declared the winner, advancing to the final to face the home fighter from Thailand, Noon-Eiad Arissara.

Despite withdrawing, Khanh Mai still bowed to the audience before leaving the Lumpinee arena in Bangkok after receiving instructions from her coach. As for the Filipino athlete, Islay, she shared with the Philippine press that she didn't understand what had happened during the match.

Mr. Co Tan Anh Linh was angry and led his students off the competition field.

This unfair treatment at the 33rd SEA Games wasn't limited to Muay Thai. MMA fighter Pham Van Nam broke down in tears when the referee unfairly ruled him a loss to host Thailand in the semi-finals of the under-56 kg category. Similarly, Vu Van Kien suffered a heartbreaking loss despite leading by a significant margin against host country fighter Janjaroen Tinnapat in the semi-finals of the 60 kg pencak silat category.

The Muay Thai competition at the 33rd SEA Games, held from December 13th to 19th, included 18 events: 10 men's sparring weight classes (45–75 kg), 6 women's sparring weight classes (45–60 kg), and 2 exhibition events for men and women. However, each country was only allowed to register one fighter in each event.

Khanh Mai was among the key athletes that the coaching staff had high hopes of winning a gold medal for the team at the SEA Games, but she had to leave the competition in disappointment. The 19-year-old had previously won a gold medal at the 2025 Asian Championships and was the champion in the U23 45kg category at this year's World Championships.

Khanh Mai is not the only case of Vietnam being unfairly treated in martial arts events at the 33rd SEA Games.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/hlv-tuc-gian-vi-vdv-viet-nam-bi-xu-ep-dan-hoc-tro-bo-tran-giua-tran-o-sea-games-33-196251217100602097.htm