Carelessness is dragging the SEA Games 33 back.

The 33rd SEA Games were unstable right from the start.

The 33rd SEA Games were expected to be an opportunity for Thailand to affirm its ability to organize a regional sporting event of Olympic standards. However, after only a few days, the image of the Games was overshadowed by a series of inexplicable mistakes, leaving Southeast Asian fans disappointed.

The opening ceremony on the evening of December 9th at Rajamangala Stadium, touted as "spectacular" and "unprecedented," turned out to be far from the hype. For two hours, the event unfolded in chaos. The map of Vietnam was displayed with serious inaccuracies, the LED screens malfunctioned repeatedly, singers were caught lip-syncing live, and the drone show displayed the wrong number of medals.

Even before those controversies could subside, the 33rd SEA Games continued to cause a stir on the first day of competition. Cambodia announced the withdrawal of all its athletes due to border tensions with Thailand. This unprecedented event in the history of the Games highlights a worrying level of instability.

The Thai hosts displayed unacceptable sloppiness.

Meanwhile, many competitions, especially combat events, have seen controversies surrounding refereeing. Numerous teams have accused host nation Thailand of benefiting from biased or non-transparent decisions. Technical errors such as incorrect flags, country names, and team images have repeatedly occurred, further increasing audience frustration.

Explanations related to "budget cuts" cannot mask the fact that the 33rd SEA Games are being run in an unprofessional and disorganized manner. This not only damages the host country's reputation but also affects the image of the entire ASEAN sports movement.

The SEA Games should have been a celebration of the spirit of unity and the efforts of athletes. However, with the current sloppy organization, this year's Games have become proof that just one wrong link can drag the entire system backward.

ASEAN clearly deserves a more well-prepared and respectful SEA Games.

'The refereeing at the SEA Games is not good.' On the afternoon of December 10th, representatives of the Vietnamese Taekwondo team expressed their frustration when Nguyen Trong Phuc and Trinh Thi Kim Ha won the silver medal in the mixed doubles poomsae (forms) event.

Source: https://znews.vn/su-cau-tha-keo-lui-sea-games-33-post1610154.html