The Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) admitted that Thailand's budget for organizing the SEA Games is just over 2 billion baht, which is lower than Cambodia's previous budget of over 3 billion baht. This has made management in every aspect challenging, from event organization to athlete allowances.
On 4 December 2025, Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), addressed the controversy arising on the first day of the 2025 SEA Games (3 December 2025) during the "Workers' News Offscreen" program. He candidly acknowledged that Thailand must host the SEA Games under a budget that is "below standard" and still "less than Cambodia's" budget when it hosted the 2023 SEA Games.
A budget nearly one billion baht less than Cambodia's.
Dr. Kongsak revealed that
Cambodia (SEA Games 2023) spent more than 3 billion baht.
Thailand (SEA Games 2025) received just over 2 billion baht.
The Governor of SAT stated that
“We must manage the budget with difficulty. Thailand's budget is less than Cambodia's last time, so there are limitations. We must be frugal in every area. This is not a problem with the SEA Games itself but reflects the broader issue of the sports sector receiving less funding than it should.”
This forces many tasks, such as venue preparation, technical systems, workforce management, and athlete care, to be managed more tightly than usual.
The problem of "athlete allowances"—arising from procedures between sports associations.
The delay in SEA Games athlete allowances became another heated issue. The SAT Governor clarified that the problem lies in communication between sports associations and the National Sports Development Fund, and is not related to budget cuts by SAT.
He explained that
an agreement was made for several associations to receive allowances on 6 December.
Some associations have already received them.
Some of the delay is due to differing outcome reports.
“Some sports submit results reports promptly and receive allowances quickly, but delays in others depend on each association's management.”
Sports disciplines increased from 30 to 50, but "no budget increase."
Originally, Thailand planned a budget for about 30 sports, but later decided to increase the number to 50 disciplines, causing athlete and staff allowances to rise by more than 200 million baht.
Thailand sought additional funds from the National Sports Development Fund but was denied approval because the Ministry of Finance considered budget increases impossible at this time.
“Every association wants their sport included in the SEA Games, but the budget is insufficient. The Finance Ministry did not approve the increase. We must wait for the 2026 board meeting. Athletes may not have received full information, causing confusion.”
The problems are not solely due to operational shortcomings but are "limitations of Thailand's sports budget system."
The SAT Governor emphasized that the challenges faced during the 2025 SEA Games stem from overall budget constraints in Thailand’s sports sector, not from unprepared or careless work as some critics have suggested.