SEA Games Federation Confirms Cambodia Withdrawal Over Security Concerns

By Wilawan Watcharasakwet

BANGKOK, Dec 10 (Bernama) -- The Southeast Asian Games Federation has confirmed Cambodia’s withdrawal from the ongoing 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Thailand.

Its chief executive officer, Chaiyapak Siriwat, said the Cambodian team notified the organisers early Wednesday morning of its decision to pull out of the games, citing safety and security concerns for its athletes amid escalating tensions along the border.

He said the 30 Cambodian athletes who took part in Tuesday’s opening ceremony were grateful for Thailand’s warm welcome, but a sudden deterioration in the border situation prompted Cambodian officials to recall the delegation.

“At about 2 am on Wednesday (Dec 10), Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, informed us that they needed to withdraw due to warnings from senior Cambodian authorities about worsening conditions along the frontier and concerns that the situation could further escalate,” Chaiyapak told reporters on Wednesday.

He noted that a formal withdrawal letter was submitted to Thailand on Wednesday.

Chaiyapak added that Chamroeun apologised for the situation and confirmed that all Cambodian athletes would return home immediately.

Meanwhile, he said the competition schedule will only affect karate for now, as there are two events in which the number of athletes will no longer meet regulatory requirements.

“However, this SEA Games has an arbitration panel to review such cases before making recommendations to the SEA Games Council. With only three teams remaining in those events, the competitions may still proceed, with two medals – gold and silver – to be awarded,” he added.

Cambodia had initially confirmed participation in 21 sports with more than 300 athletes, but scaled this down to 13 sports in late November as border tensions persisted.

The SEA Games 2025, officially declared open by King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Tuesday, feature 50 official sports with 12,506 athletes from 11 nations, including Cambodia. 

The biennial games, co-hosted by Bangkok and Chonburi, run until Dec 20, while the ASEAN Para Games (APG) 2025 will take place from Jan 20 to 26, 2026.

-- BERNAMA