Cambodia denies sending only 57 athletes to SEA Games in Thailand

According to the Secretary General of the Cambodian Olympic Committee, Vath Chamroeun, the information that the country's sports delegation only sent 57 athletes to participate in the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand is not true.

Cambodian sports still preparing for SEA Games 33

"We are not aware of this. This is not official information. We have not considered anything other than continuing our training efforts. Everything depends on the situation, and we have to wait for the final decision (from the Cambodian Government ). There is still a long time to go," Mr. Vath Chamroeun told the media on August 5 and was published by the Phnom Penh Post . Thereby, he denied information from the Thai press that Cambodia had significantly reduced the number of athletes participating in the 33rd SEA Games compared to the initial registration list.

Mr. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the Cambodian Olympic Committee, denied the information that the country's sports sector only sent 57 athletes to the 33rd SEA Games.

Photo: Phnompenh Post screenshot

Accordingly, Thai newspapers such as Khaosod and Thairath on August 4, citing information from the country's Olympic Committee after a meeting of the Sports Selection Committee, athletes and officials attending the 33rd SEA Games, said that Cambodia only sent 57 athletes to participate, a 96% reduction compared to the previously registered number of 1,515 people.

However, in reality, the number of athletes registered for the 33rd SEA Games has not been officially finalized, as sports delegations such as Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei and Timor Leste have requested a 2-week extension to announce the list and are expected to submit the final number before September 1, according to Thairath .

Therefore, the Cambodian sports delegation's denial of the information that they will only send 57 athletes to the 33rd SEA Games as reported by the Thai press is also somewhat reasonable. Another reason is that the unstable situation between the two countries has not really stabilized yet. Therefore, as Mr. Vath Chamroeun confirmed, Cambodian sports still have to wait for more information before deciding on the number of athletes and whether to participate in the 33rd SEA Games or not.

Previously, Thai media reported that Cambodia affirmed that it would not withdraw from the 33rd SEA Games and would send athletes to participate as scheduled. Cambodian sports also reaffirmed its stance that it does not want politics to interfere in sports and emphasized that sports relations with Thailand should be separate from border issues or any political conflicts, according to Thairath .

Whether Cambodian sports will participate in SEA Games 33 or not is still open.

Photo: Thairath Screenshot

However, information from Mr. Vath Chamroeun also emphasized that whether Cambodia will participate in the 33rd SEA Games or not will depend on whether the current border conflict between the two countries has actually cooled down or not.

Meanwhile, the SEA Games Council and the Thai Olympic Committee have affirmed that they do not have the authority to ban any country from participating in the 33rd SEA Games, as this would violate the Olympic Charter. Previously, there was information that Thailand could consider banning the Cambodian sports delegation from the 33rd SEA Games, for the safety of its athletes and sports officials.

All hope now lies in waiting until the deadline of September 1, when the remaining sports delegations submit their final lists for the 33rd SEA Games. At that time, the possibility of the Cambodian sports delegation participating or not and the official number of athletes will also be announced specifically.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/campuchia-phu-nhan-chi-cu-57-vdv-du-sea-games-o-thai-lan-185250805195225083.htm