Cambodia pulls all athletes from 33rd SEA Games despite attending opening ceremony
Cambodia has withdrawn all of its athletes from the 33rd SEA Games, just hours after attending the opening ceremony on Tuesday (9 Dec) night.
The 137-member delegation, with athletes who were set to compete in 12 sports, was instructed to leave due to escalating tensions at the Thai-Cambodian border.
Source: ASEAN urbanist on Facebook
More deaths have been reported as two civilians were killed on early Tuesday morning.
According to The Thaiger, five Thai soldiers have lost their lives in the recent border clashes.
The renewed fighting comes after the military confrontation in July 2025 that resulted in more than 40 deaths over five days.
Athletes’ families concerned about their wellbeing
An official withdrawal letter was submitted to the 33rd SEA Games Organising Committee on Wednesday (10 Dec) at about 10.30am, Vn Express said.
The letter was from Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC).
Source: Vn Express
“Due to serious concerns and requests from the families of our athletes to have their relatives return home immediately, NOCC must withdraw all of our delegation,” the letter said.
They further cited “safety reasons”.
Source: Olympic Cambodia on Facebook
Despite the abrupt decision, Mr Chamroeun expressed gratitude towards Thailand’s “hospitality, warmth and spirit of sportsmanship” that have been extended to their athletes.
Cambodian fans report restricted access to SEA Games Facebook page
On Wednesday (10 Dec), Cambodian fans reported that access to the official SEA Games 2025 Facebook page appeared restricted within Cambodia.
Source: @aseanfootballnews on Instagram
According to ASEAN Football News, the issue may be linked to geolocation limitations, which have prevented users from viewing updates and livestreams.
Supporters online voiced hope that the situation would be resolved quickly to ensure “equal access and a unified viewing experience for all ASEAN supporters”.
Cambodia withdrawal follows earlier exit from 8 sports over safety concerns
Cambodia’s withdrawal follows an earlier move on 27 Nov, when the NOCC informed organisers it would not participate in eight sports, citing “significant security concerns”.
These sports included:
- judo
- karate
- pencak silat
- wrestling
- wushu
- petanque
- football
- sepak takraw
In the letter, the NOCC said that those sports “[pose] challenges to ensuring the safety and protection of our athletes and officials”, Bangkok Post reported.
Source: Olympic Cambodia on Facebook
The committee added that the decision aimed to ensure “the highest level of safety for our delegation” while retaining some level of participation.
Cambodia calls Thailand’s actions ‘brutal and unlawful’
Following the renewed clashes, a statement issued by the Cambodian Ministry of National Defence on Tuesday (9 Dec) claimed that “the Thai side has violated the Ceasefire Agreement and the Joint Declaration between Cambodia and Thailand signed by both parties on October 26, 2025”.
“The brutal and unlawful actions undertaken by the Thai side are also a grave violation of the Ceasefire Agreement that both countries agreed upon on July 28, 2025.”
Source: ក្រសួងការពារជាតិ on Facebook
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (9 Dec), Cambodia’s former prime minister Hun Sen said the country had retaliated.
“After more than 24 hours of patience to respect the ceasefire and time needed to evacuate people to safety zones… We really don’t sit around holding hands.”
Source: Samdech Hun Sen of Cambodia on Facebook
He added that Cambodian forces must respond and “hit all the spots” attacked by the enemy.
“We fight to defend ourselves again.”
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Featured image adapted from Olympic Cambodia on Facebook.
