Campuchia rút toàn bộ VĐV khỏi SEA Games 33

Cambodia requests its sports delegation to immediately leave Thailand despite having just attended the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games.

Around 10:30 this morning, Mr. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the Cambodian Olympic Committee (NOCC), sent a letter to the Organizing Committee confirming the decision to withdraw from the Games. The reasons given were political tensions between Cambodia and Thailand, as well as requests from the families of the athletes.

In the letter, Mr. Chamroeun expressed regret over the situation and thanked the Thai Olympic Committee (NOCT) and the SEA Games 33 Organizing Committee (THASOC) for their warm and thoughtful welcome, in the spirit of fair play, extended to the Cambodian sports delegation in recent days.

[Image caption: Letter from Mr. Vath Chamroeun to the SEA Games 33 Organizing Committee.]

At the SEA Games 33, Cambodia planned to participate in 21 sports. But on November 26, the National Olympic Committee (NOCC) sent a letter to the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) and THASOC to announce the removal of eight sports, including football, sepak takraw, petanque, wrestling, and martial arts such as judo, karate, pencak silat, and wushu. A day later, they withdrew from volleyball as well.

This forced the SEA Games organizing committee to readjust the men's football tournament, moving Singapore from Group C to Group A instead.

In its final confirmation, Cambodia committed to participating in swimming, athletics, esports, fencing, gymnastics, ju-jitsu, kickboxing, taekwondo, equestrianism, jet skiing, triathlon, and teqball. The number of athletes is 110.

On December 7, tensions between the two countries escalated after Cambodian and Thai troops exchanged fire along the disputed border. However, the Cambodian swimming, taekwondo, and ju-jitsu teams still arrived in Thailand the following morning and participated in the flag-raising ceremony that afternoon. On the evening of December 9th, Cambodia still sent some members to the opening ceremony at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

[Image caption: The Cambodian sports delegation at the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on December 9, 2025. Photo: Duc Dong]

Cambodia's withdrawal had already been anticipated by THASOC. On the morning of December 8th, the Director-General of the Thai Sports Authority, Gongsak Yodmani, stated that two scenarios had been prepared. "If Cambodian athletes and officials arrive as originally scheduled, Thailand will double, or even triple, the security measures to ensure maximum safety. If they decide not to participate, we will adjust the schedule accordingly," he told the Thai newspaper Thairath.

This morning, the organizing committee had to hastily change the schedule for swimming, ju-jitsu, taekwondo, and gymnastics.

The SEA Games is the largest multi-sport event in Southeast Asia, held every two years, bringing together outstanding athletes from 11 countries in the region. The event usually takes place in odd-numbered years and includes many Olympic and Asian Games-level sports, along with some sports unique to each host country.

For over 66 years, the SEA Games has been seen as a symbol of regional friendship and an important platform for Southeast Asian sports to develop and assert their identity.

This year, the Games are taking place in Thailand from December 9th to 20th, featuring competitions in 50 sports and 574 events. Vietnam is participating with 1,165 members, including 842 athletes.