The Sports Authority issues a correction: the petanque venue shared for the "SEA Games 2025" is not the actual competition site.
On 5 December 2025, after images of the petanque venue for the 33rd SEA Games at Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University, Pathum Thani, were shared showing a bare stone ground, sports fans criticized the venue's readiness for the competition.
Recently, the petanque competition organizers for the 33rd SEA Games announced that the roof, petanque court surface, and spectator seating at Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University—relocated from Songkhla Province—have been fully completed and are ready to host the competition.
Meanwhile, the images that sparked the controversy have been verified as an indoor training venue, not the official competition site.
Precha Lalun, Deputy Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand for Elite Sports and Sports Science, stated that there has been a misunderstanding regarding the photos. The actual competition venue has just been installed, with the roof and spectator seating completed. The competition will begin on 8 December.
Originally, Songkhla was to host 10 sports at the SEA Games, including football, kabaddi, chess, judo, karate, wrestling, panjat silat, wushu, amateur boxing, and petanque. However, due to flooding in the southern region, the organizers decided to relocate all 10 sports to Bangkok and Chonburi.