Vath Chamroeun, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), has dismissed a misleading report by a Thai media outlet which suggested that Cambodia will reduce the sporting delegation it will send to this year’s SEA Games, which will be held in Bangkok, Thailand at the end of the year.
An August 4 article by Thai outlet Khaosod English — which has a history of exaggeration, seemingly to inflame border tensions between Cambodia and Thailand — claimed that Cambodia had slashed its delegation for the 33rd SEA Games from 1,500 athletes down to just 57.
It reported that the figure was discussed a same-day meeting of the Thai Olympic Committee, while noting that the host nations would enter 2,134 athletes across 574 events in 50 different sports.
The article also listed delegation numbers from other countries, including Malaysia with 1,824 athletes, Vietnam with 863, Singapore with 1,973, and Myanmar with 749. It claimed that Cambodia — previously expected to send around 1,500 athletes — had drastically reduced the figure to just 57, due to the recent border conflict.
Khaosod English cited Thai Olympic Committee secretary-general Thana Chaiprasit as saying that several countries, including Cambodia, had requested a one-month extension to finalise their entries.
Chamroeun completely rejected the report, stating that the NOCC was unaware of any such numbers. He emphasised that Cambodia’s participation in the SEA Games — or lack thereof — would depend on the real-time development of the ongoing border dispute and would ultimately require a decision from the Royal Government of Cambodia.
“We are unaware of this matter. This is not official. We have not considered anything other than continuing our training efforts. Everything depends on the situation, and we must wait for a final decision from the Royal Government. There’s still a long time to go,” he told the media earlier today, August 5.
