Thailand's number one female tennis player suddenly withdraws decision to withdraw from SEA Games 33

(Dan Tri) - Female badminton player Pornpawee Chochuwong has decided to return to compete for the Thai badminton team, even though she had previously submitted a request to withdraw from the 33rd SEA Games due to dissatisfaction.

This unexpected change came after senior officials from the Government and the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) immediately stepped in, held an emergency meeting and made specific commitments to resolve the issue that Pornpawee and her colleagues had reported.

Tennis player Pornpawee Chochuwong and Thai leaders at a press conference at the Thai Government building on the afternoon of October 28 (Photo: Dailynews Online).

Previously, on the afternoon of October 27, Pornpawee went to the SAT headquarters to submit a refusal to participate in the 33rd SEA Games. She said that the Badminton Association of Thailand (BAT) did not respect athletes by not clearly announcing the physical test.

The agency deducted 6,000 baht (about 5 million VND) from athletes who were absent from health checks despite their schedules clashing with international tournaments.

Pornpawee said that the deduction of allowances was not illegal but BAT’s actions were considered unsympathetic in the context of the Association being accused of not supporting the athletes in terms of competition costs and training equipment. This led to her decision to withdraw from the 33rd SEA Games as a way of protest.

However, on the afternoon of October 28, at the Government House, Thailand's top female tennis player, Pornpawee Chochuwong, changed her shocking decision after a high-level meeting with Thai Deputy Prime Minister Thammanat Prompao and Director of the Thai Sports Authority Kongsak Yodmanee.

At the meeting, Pornpawee directly expressed her views and dissatisfaction to the leaders. Thereby, she decided to return to compete for the national team with a clear condition regarding the rights of the athletes.

“The ultimate goal is to ensure a sustainable and fair development roadmap, creating conditions for young talents to promptly replace and inherit the veteran athletes,” Pornpawee said at a meeting on the afternoon of October 28.

In response to complaints from tennis player Chochuwong, Deputy Prime Minister Thammanat Prompao decided to set up a special committee to resolve complaints from all sports associations, while affirming the ultimate goal is to thoroughly resolve all shortcomings, pledging that athletes from now on "just need to focus on training and competing".

Chochuwong unexpectedly returned to compete for the Thai badminton team at the 33rd SEA Games (Photo: Getty).

At the end of the meeting, Chochuwong expressed her deep gratitude to those who supported her and helped her regain her confidence in fighting. With the leaders' commitment to change, Thailand's number one female tennis player declared that she will devote all her heart to the 33rd SEA Games.

She affirmed that this will be the last Congress in her career and set the highest goal of winning the gold medal in the women's team event right at home, as a thank you for her personal efforts and the support of her fans.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nu-tay-vot-so-mot-thai-lan-bat-ngo-rut-lai-quyet-dinh-bo-sea-games-33-20251028194422182.htm