Weightlifting and Teqball stadiums are in disarray before the start of the 33rd SEA Games.

The weightlifting gym is still empty and has not been installed yet.

Weightlifting is a favorite sport at the SEA Games because the competition in the weight classes in this sport is always fierce. Especially the matches between Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam are always fierce and tense until the last minute. This year, weightlifting has 15 weight classes, of which Vietnam participates in 14. We would have participated in all if Thailand had not cut the men's 55 kg weight class, in which weightlifter Lai Gia Thanh won the SEA Games gold medal.

Ngổn ngang nhà thi đấu Cử tạ và Teqball trước giờ khởi tranh SEA Games 33- Ảnh 1. — Air conditioning in the new weightlifting gymnasium has been moved in.

Because weightlifting is of interest to many people, we came to find out how the preparations are being made at the gymnasium in Chonburi University of Sports . According to the convention, for any type of competition held at a Games, the facilities must be completed a month or at the latest 1-2 weeks before so that teams from different countries can practice with peace of mind immediately after arriving.

Ngổn ngang nhà thi đấu Cử tạ và Teqball trước giờ khởi tranh SEA Games 33- Ảnh 2. — The weights were placed in a corner, giving the feeling that they were not cleaned properly.

However, although the weightlifting competition started on December 13 and from the 11th and 12th the athletes had to practice and get used to the weights, on the afternoon of December 7th when we arrived at the weightlifting gym, everything was still in place. Apart from the decorated entrance gate, we entered a large space where nothing had been installed. The seats for delegates and referees were still arranged in a corner, the newly brought in air conditioners had not been unsealed, and the weights were still lined up in a corner of the house, seemingly uncleaned. Many other functions to serve this competition such as the electronic scoring board, wifi system and transmission signals had not been connected yet.

Ngổn ngang nhà thi đấu Cử tạ và Teqball trước giờ khởi tranh SEA Games 33- Ảnh 3. — The weightlifting gymnasium has only hung the flag, nothing else has been arranged yet.

Teqball started early after the opening ceremony and was still being set up.

One of the new but also developing sports in recent times is foot table tennis or also known as teqball, which has been included in the SEA Games competition program. This sport is very interesting, fierce and dramatic, and our Vietnam has participated. Also located near the weightlifting stadium, but the teqball campus is brighter, more spacious, and can welcome a large number of fans to support. The competition field is located on a high place, unlike weightlifting, like the athletes are competing on the 1st or 2nd floor.

Ngổn ngang nhà thi đấu Cử tạ và Teqball trước giờ khởi tranh SEA Games 33- Ảnh 4. — Inside the unfinished teqball court

When we walked up the stairs to go inside, the teqball court was still not assembled. The competition table was still in a corner. Many workers were still cutting and pasting banners and backdrops with the words SEA Games 33. Although everything in the gym had been decorated, like the weightlifting, it was still quite messy. Ms. Pisun Khueanpet, a worker cutting and pasting slogans, said: "We are racing to finish our work today. More than 10 of us did not take a break to finish because the competition was on December 10. I do not know where this delay came from, but we have only been mobilized for the past 2 days."

Ngổn ngang nhà thi đấu Cử tạ và Teqball trước giờ khởi tranh SEA Games 33- Ảnh 5. — Workers are still cutting the SEA Games signs.

It seems to us that the Thais are preparing too hastily, until the day of the SEA Games, everything is still quite slow and there is no sign of any urgency to speed up the work. The Thais are fully capable of doing that because they have hosted the Asian Games and many world- level tournaments. But to leave the SEA Games in such a mess is really hard to understand for the host country.