Vath Chamroeun, president of Cambodia's Olympic Committee, launched a fierce critique of Thailand's SEA Games organization, highlighting conflicts with Olympic ideals including political issues, security, and errors during the opening ceremony.
On 13 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general and president of Cambodia's National Olympic Committee, harshly criticized Thailand after returning from there on 11 Dec. He stated that Thailand's actions as host of the 33rd SEA Games in 2025 were completely at odds with the principles of the International Olympic Movement and accused Thailand of reigniting war.
Despite his strong criticism of the Thai government and military, Vath Chamroeun acknowledged that Thailand's SEA Games organizing committee and the National Olympic Committee of Thailand performed well in ceremonial and hospitality duties, though he said these could not be separated from the state's actions.
“The sports host welcomed us appropriately, but the country's ruling powers attacked our homes, burned them, and bombed our lands. How can we continue to compete under these conditions?”
Vath Chamroeun revealed that Cambodia initially decided to send athletes to participate in the opening ceremony as planned by the government but withdrew at an appropriate time. This decision was understood and supported by many ASEAN countries and other athletes concerned about Cambodian athletes' safety.
This incident became a historic first in SEA Games history: a country participated in the opening ceremony but had to withdraw during the competition.
He also expressed regret and apologized to Cambodian athletes who had trained for nearly two years but emphasized that athlete safety must come first. He called on the Cambodian public to support their national team representatives.
Additionally, he criticized Thailand's SEA Games organization, especially the opening ceremony on 9 Dec, which was riddled with technical errors and noticeably inferior presentation quality compared to the 32nd SEA Games hosted by Cambodia in 2023.
“For such a major event like the SEA Games, there was barely any proper rehearsal, the budget was insufficient, and everyone should apologize. Anyone who watched the opening ceremony could clearly see it did not compare to Cambodia 2023 at all.”