Hot: After the opening ceremony, Cambodia withdrew all athletes from the 33rd SEA Games

According to information from Thailand's Daily News, the Cambodian sports delegation has decided to withdraw from the 33rd SEA Games despite having just participated in the Opening Ceremony on the evening of December 9.

As is known, prior to the Games, Cambodia reduced the number of sports to 12, and the sports delegation to Thailand consisted of only 137 people, including 72 athletes. The Cambodian delegation arrived in Thailand on December 8th, and some attended the opening ceremony on the evening of December 9th.

However, according to Daily News, recent reports indicate that Cambodia has requested its sports delegation withdraw from the 33rd SEA Games amid tensions between Thailand and Cambodia. Siam News provides more details, stating that Vath Chamroeun, Secretary-General of the Cambodian Olympic Committee, informed Chaipak Siriwat, President of the SEA Games Council, that Cambodia would withdraw all its athletes from the SEA Games.

The newspaper also reported that the Cambodian sports delegation was impressed with Thailand's hospitality, but they were warned about escalating border conflicts, leading to concerns about the safety of the delegation members. In addition, the athletes' families were worried that if the situation worsened and airlines ceased operations, the athletes could be stranded in Thailand.

The Cambodian side also apologized for this decision. Previously, Thana Chaiprasit, Secretary-General of the Thai Olympic Committee and Head of the Thai Sports Delegation, had stated that he would ensure the safety of the Cambodian sports delegation, and also said that in the event of Cambodia's sudden withdrawal from the SEA Games 33, the competitions would still take place as scheduled instead of being canceled. The arbitration council would review the matter before forwarding it to the SEA Games Council. Due to this incident, if there are not enough athletes from the three teams, the athletes may still compete and receive two medals: gold and silver.

According to Daily News, the official document will be released by the Cambodian sports delegation at around 11:00 AM today, which is noon on the first official day of competition at the 33rd SEA Games.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nong-sau-le-khai-mac-campuchia-rut-toan-bo-cac-van-dong-vien-khoi-sea-games-33-post1803334.tpo