PHNOM PENH – Cambodia has withdrawn from eight sports at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand over safety concerns, an Olympic official said on Thursday, as a border row between the nations simmers.
Intermittent military clashes between Cambodia and neighbouring Thailand, host of the SEA Games beginning on December 9, have erupted since earlier this year.
More than 40 people were killed during five days of combat in July.
While a truce backed by US President Donald Trump has halted most hostilities, diplomatic tensions remain.
In a letter dated Wednesday, the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) informed the Southeast Asian Games Federation that it would not participate in judo, karate, pencak silat, wrestling, wushu, petanque, football and sepak takraw at the regional Games next month.
“This adjustment has been made due to significant security concerns, which poses challenges to ensuring the safety and protection of our athletes and officials,” the letter says.
“This difficult decision was made by the leadership to ensure Cambodia can still participate while guaranteeing the highest level of safety for our delegation. We hope the Cambodian public understands and graciously accepts this difficult decision.”
The remaining 13 sports Cambodia will compete in are swimming, athletics, e-sports, kun lbokator, gymnastics, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, taekwondo, equestrian, jet ski, triathlon, table tennis and volleyball – according to The Phnom Penh Post.
NOCC secretary-general Vath Chamroeun also told AFP separately that the decision was “about safety”, declining to say whether it was related to the border dispute.
“The deduction of the number of athletes means it is easy for us to control,” he added.
The news comes following Thailand’s decision to relocate 10 events of the Games from Songkhla to Bangkok and Chon Buri following severe flooding in the southern province.
“The leadership of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia and the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, especially under the highest guidance of the Head of Government, has made the final decision to minimise risks by removing sports held in Songkhla – an area affected by flooding – as well as several other sports,” the NOCC letter also said, as quoted by The Phnom Penh Post.
In a Facebook post, the NOCC said Cambodia would now send 150 athletes to compete in the 13 sporting events they are registered in, down from 333 athletes earlier announced.
The dispute between Thailand and Cambodia centres on a century-old disagreement over borders mapped during France’s colonial rule in the region, with both sides claiming a smattering of boundary temples. AFP
