Bangkok: Tourism and Sports Minister Atthakorn apologized to the Vietnamese and Laotian athletes for the lack of national anthems, explaining that Thailand had already been short of funds from the start for the 2025 SEA Games. Mr. Atthakorn Sirilathayakorn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, revealed that after preparations for the hosting of the 33rd SEA Games, which will take place from December 9-20, 2025, with Bangkok and Chonburi as the main cities, the organizers' preparations have been heavily criticized on various social media platforms. A major issue was the case of the Vietnam vs. Laos national football match. Before the match, the national anthems of both countries were not played, forcing the players to sing their own national anthem live. He explained that the issue stemmed from technical and communication difficulties. He and the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) are not ignoring the situation. Thailand has initially issued apologies to the Vietnamese and Laotian embassies. However, the mistake ca nnot be denied. He stated that he will travel to watch the Vietnamese and Laotian national teams compete to sincerely apologize for the incident. He hopes that the upcoming matches will be smooth and lead to Thailand's successful hosting of the 33rd SEA Games. On December 5th, he and his team inspected the readiness and management at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. Her Majesty the Queen's 60th Birthday, Thanyaburi District (Rangsit, Khlong 6) and watched the Thai men's baseball match, the first match against the Vietnamese national team, and apologized to the Vietnamese national team.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Atthakorn went on to say that Thailand's hosting of the 33rd SEA Games is about to officially open on December 9th and continue until the closing ceremony on December 20th. As with any sporting event, there are inherent shortcomings in the lead-up to the competition, with expectations of failure and potential failures and criticisms. This year's situation is more dire than any other we've experienced, as the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) has no budget for preparations. Although the Cabinet initially approved the budget for the Games, the actual budget came within the annual budget, and some years it fell short. The first year, only 157 million baht was allocated, the following year, 883 million baht, and another 400 million baht from the National Sports Development Fund, plus a portion of the central budget, all in all, Thailand's hosting budget was already short from the start.
Mr. Atthakorn continued, stating that the final budget truly needed for the opening ceremony and live broadcast, accommodation, and transportation arrived in October 2025. We proceeded with procurement in accordance with all procurement regulations, but this may not have been satisfactory to many, leading to controversy. Regardless of who has already done the work and prepared, I would like to clarify that, regardless of the previous government, no promises have been made to those who submitted proposals. Rather, everyone hopes to secure the work, so they may hire suppliers who are facing issues with claims of unpaid work. Even if they believe they will get the work, they must adhere to official procurement documents. Therefore, everything is moving forward towards the opening ceremony, and we hope everyone will be happy and applaud the success of the Thai athletes who are about to begin their competition.
"This government has not shifted responsibility to anyone. Deputy Prime Minister Thammanat Prompao has supported and followed up with the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) in every respect to ensure Thailand's preparations for hosting the SEA Games are completed in time and successfully," said the Sports Minister.