Thailand considers banning Cambodia from participating in SEA Games 33

The Cambodian sports delegation is likely to be banned by Thailand from participating in the 33rd SEA Games - the Southeast Asian Games to take place this coming December.

Cambodian athletes will likely not be able to attend the 33rd SEA Games - Photo: NAM TRAN

In a recent statement, Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Sorawong Thienthong said that the government is considering banning the Cambodian sports delegation from participating in the 33rd SEA Games, after the two countries had a border conflict last week.

This is the SEA Games hosted by Thailand, officially taking place from December 9 to 20. The official venues will be Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla.

In his statement, Mr. Thienthong expressed that the Thai Government's ban came from safety reasons for the Cambodian sports delegation, not from political motives.

“I am concerned about the escalating violence following recent clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. This could affect Thailand’s role as host of the SEA Games. Especially regarding the safety of Cambodian athletes during the event,” Thai PBS quoted Mr. Sorawong as saying.

Immediately, regional media expressed concern about security issues at a series of international sporting events about to take place in Thailand.

Most notable is the 33rd SEA Games - a sports event in which Cambodia promises to send hundreds of people.

In late June, Vath Chamroeun, secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), said that the border dispute would not affect the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok. But that was before armed conflict broke out.

In the next few days, Thailand will host the 2025 SEA V.League Women's Volleyball Tournament in Nakhon Ratchasima province. This is a sensitive area as it is only more than 150km from the Surin border area.

The SEA Games in Thailand promises to be an exciting event - Photo: NT

Not only that, at the end of August, Thailand will continue to play host to the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship. This is a major international sporting event, with the participation of the Vietnamese women's volleyball team as well as many other sporting powers.

However, Cambodia will not be participating in these two tournaments, reducing security concerns. The tournament organizers have not yet made a statement about hosting sporting events in the next month.

With the SEA Games, the concern is even greater with the presence of the Cambodian sports delegation. It is understandable that the Thai government is considering banning the neighboring country's sports delegation from the SEA Games, for their own security.

It is also possible that the Cambodian sports delegation will proactively withdraw from the 33rd SEA Games.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thai-lan-xem-xet-cam-campuchia-du-sea-games-33-20250726104056589.htm