Chaipak Siriwat, Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, said he received a call at 2 a.m. Wednesday from Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, to inform that his delegation will withdraw from the ongoing tournament.
Chamroeun reportedly expressed concerns that the border tension between the two countries can escalate and affect the safety of the 137-member Cambodian delegation.
The official withdrawal letter is expected to be sent to the SEA Games 33 Organizing Committee at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
The Cambodia sports delegation at the opening ceremony of the SEA Games 33 at Rajamangal Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Dec. 9, 2025. Photo by Read/Duc Dong |
Thai newspaper Siam Sport reported that the Cambodian sports delegation had earlier expressed their gratitude toward Thailand’s hospitality.
Relations between the two neighbors have been tense since July due to border disputes. Tensions spiked again on Dec. 7 following reports of gunfire exchanged between Cambodian and Thai troops along the northeastern border.
Despite this, the Cambodia teams for swimming, taekwondo and ju-jitsu arrived in Thailand a day later and participated in the flag-hoisting ceremony that afternoon, as well as the opening ceremony on Tuesday.
The complete withdrawal follows an earlier reduction in Cambodia’s participation. Initially planning to contest 21 sports, the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) announced on Nov. 26 that it would withdraw from eight sports, including men’s football, sepak takraw and various martial arts. Volleyball was withdrawn a day later.
This forced organizers to reshuffle the men’s football tournament, moving Singapore to Group A to fill Cambodia’s place.
The 12 remaining sports that Cambodia had confirmed participation in, which involved 110 athletes, are swimming, athletics, e-sports, fencing, gymnastics, ju-jitsu, kickboxing, taekwondo, equestrian, jet skiing, triathlon and teqball.
The SEA Games 33 Organizing Committee had anticipated this possibility.
Gongsak Yodmani, general director of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), stated Monday that contingency plans were in place.
“If the Cambodia athletes and officials arrive as scheduled, Thailand will double or even triple the number of personnel to ensure maximum security. If they decide not to participate, we will adjust the competition schedule accordingly,” Yodmani told Thairath.
The Organizing Committee must now quickly adjust the schedules for events starting Wednesday morning, including swimming, ju-jitsu, taekwondo and gymnastics.
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