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Cambodia has made a final decision to participate in 21 sports in the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand from December 9 to 20, 2025. But, Kun Khmer Federation and Cambodia Billiards Sports Federation will boycott due to issues of insecurity and safety.
Vath Chamroeun, Secretary-General of National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC), said 332 delegates, including 222 athletes, would compete in athletics, swimming, equestrian, fencing, gymnastics, judo, taekwondo, triathlon, volleyball, football, wrestling, pencak silat, kickboxing, petanque, sepak takraw, jet ski, karate, jujitsu, wushu, netball, and E-sports.
The decision to send a delegation to the SEA Games in Thailand has become a hot topic among Cambodians, with many concerned about the safety and security of the delegates, including coaches and players, due to the unresolved Cambodian-Thai border dispute, and Thai people’s alleged animosity towards Cambodia.
Despite these, Chamroeun affirmed Cambodia’s participation in the SEA Games, which is in accordance with sports regulations approved by the government and host country Thailand, as well as the Olympic Committee of Thailand, which has guaranteed the safety of Cambodian delegates.
“We are not worried,” he said on Friday. “The host country and Thai Olympic Committee have organized and strengthened security for the Cambodian delegation. They would also educate their citizens. As athletes, we must respect both national and international sports regulations.”
He added that the participation demonstrates Cambodia’s goodwill, solidarity, and friendship in sport, while strengthening sports diplomacy within ASEAN.
The delegation size was reduced from an initial registration of more than 600 people to 332, he noted, adding that all members will stay together in one hotel in Bangkok for smooth management and protection.
“We refined the list, keeping only sports with strong potential and lower risk — disciplines where we have an advantage or performed well in the 2023 SEA Games which were hosted by Cambodia.”
He further said Cambodia should participate as it is a member of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), unless the security risk is “extremely high”.
Kun Khmer Federation is boycotting the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, its president Khov Chhay confirmed, adding that it was the right decision after Thailand boycotted Kun Khmer in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia two years ago.
He stressed that the Kun Khmer Federation is not Muay Thai, and that Cambodia does not have a federation for it, so the boycott is not contrary to the Olympic rules.
“The boycott does not violate Olympic principles. When we organized the Kun Khmer [match in the last SEA Games], they didn’t come; now they are organizing Muay Thai, so we won’t go either.”
He said sending Kun Khmer boxers to compete in Thailand amid current border tensions poses safety risks, particularly due to the presence of “Thai ultranationalist groups”. Khmer and Thai national combat sports have been longtime rivals, often sparking tension and resulting in potential violence.
“We are not thinking about politics but the safety of our athletes. We see that the situation there cannot ensure safety and a warm [welcome] for us. We do not trust their promise [Thailand’s],” he said.
“Kun Khmer and Muay Thai are related to culture, and in the past, we have had conflicts. Both have experienced ‘scars and scandals’ for a long time, so it is easy to cause problems, but it is fine for other sports,” Chhay added.
Similarly, Cambodia Billiard Sports Federation (CBSF) has unanimously decided to boycott the games as well as other sporting events in Thailand.
The federation said on November 18 that the boycott was due to two reasons: serious security and safety concerns and national sentiment and dignity.
CBSF president Chum Kosal said the current situation with Thailand does not adequately guarantee the safety of Cambodian athletes.
“With the ongoing border dispute and continued closure of border crossings, as well as the insecurity caused by the shooting of Cambodian people by Thai military forces contrary to the spirit of humanity and the peace agreement, has caused great concern for the safety of our delegation.”
He said that participating under such circumstances, with Cambodians suffering along the border, was morally unacceptable and runs counter to national interests.
His federation has also warned that it would not be responsible for those who want to participate on their own in Thailand—a message it sent to their players and other Khmer individuals who have expertise in the game.
“Those who participate independently do not officially represent Cambodia or Cambodia Billiard Sports Federation,” read their statement.
Meanwhile, Noy Phana, secretary-general of Cambodia Gymnastics Federation, said they would participate in the upcoming SEA Games after thoroughly reviewing the regulations and legal standards of the International Gymnastics Federation, of which it was a full member.
He stressed that sporting rules forbid any form of discrimination related to political views, ethnicity, religion, or “skin color”. “The SEA Games is not controlled by any single nation, but collectively by the South East Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), with the host country managing the event in line with SEAGF’s decision,” he mentioned.
Phana acknowledged the public’s concerns about the team’s safety at the games but emphasized that their participation is grounded in universal and international sports laws, as well as the International Gymnastics Federation’s regulations. Furthermore, he said, the decision to participate was made with the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS)’s approval.
In 2023, Cambodia won 81 gold medals, 74 silver medals, and 127 bronze medals, bringing the total to 282, and coming in fourth out of 11 countries. For the Thai SEA Games, MoEYS initially permitted 39 sporting events to begin training, but 21 sports were finally selected for participation.
