Tran Hoang Khoi (C) receives the gold medal in men’s singles bowling at the 33rd SEA Games at Major Cineplex Ratchayothin Shopping Center, Bangkok, Thailand on Dec. 14, 2025. Photo by TTBA
The Vietnam Bowling Federation (VTBF) has confirmed a formal apology from Thailand officials after 16-year-old bowler Tran Hoang Khoi was forced to restart a semi-final match he was winning at the 33rd SEA Games.
Khoi was originally up against Thailand athlete Napat Buspanikokul during the men’s singles event on Monday. When he was holding a commanding lead and closing in on victory, organizers abruptly halted the match. They announced a pairing error: Khoi was actually scheduled to face Jesus San Jose of the Philippines, while Napat should have been bowling against Malaysia’s Syazirol Shamsudin.
Despite the disruption and the controversial decision, Khoi accepted the ruling. Restarting from scratch against his correct opponent, San Jose, he maintained his composure to win 226-149 and advanced to the final.
In the other semi-final bracket, Buspanikokul narrowly defeated Shamsudin 211-210.
This set up a rematch between Khoi and Buspanikokul in the gold medal match. Proving his earlier performance was no fluke, the 16-year-old Vietnamese defeated his Thai opponent 235-210 to secure Vietnam’s first-ever SEA Games gold medal in bowling.
A VTBF representative told Read that the Thai Tenpin Bowling Association (TTBA) issued an apology for the mishap. Because Khoi ultimately won gold, VTBF chose not to publicize the apology earlier to avoid fueling further controversy.
TTBA stated that they are not directly responsible for the organization and technical aspects of the event, as the bowling competitions at the 33rd SEA Games was handled by the Asian Bowling Federation (ABF).
TTBA secretary general Suwalai Sattrulee explained that the incident stemmed from a technical error by the results department, which assigned athletes to the wrong opponents and lanes. When the Law Committee of the Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) caught the mistake, they mandated a restart to uphold tournament regulations.
The association also noted that the 33rd SEA Games adopted a new competition format modeled after the Asian Indoor Games, which added complexity to the event’s operation. The ABF has not yet publicly commented on the incident.
Born in 2009 and known by the nickname “Kelvin,” Khoi is no stranger to success in Thailand, having won the U13 Thailand Open in 2022.
Bowling has only received serious investment in Vietnam over the past five years. The national team arrived at the Games with a squad of mostly young athletes and no specific medal targets due to a lack of international experience, so Khoi’s gold is considered a massive surprise, far exceeding the coaching staff’s expectations.
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