Phnom Penh – In a surprising move announced Thursday, Cambodia’s National Olympic Committee (NOCC) has withdrawn its U-23 national football team, along with seven other sports, from the upcoming 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. Citing meaningful security concerns for its athletes and officials, the NOCC’s decision marks the first time Cambodia will be absent from the football competition as 2001, despite recent strong performances by the Angkor Warriors in AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifying [[2]]. The withdrawal is expected to prompt a revision of the tournament draw as the Games approach.
Phnom Penh –
Cambodia’s U-23 national team has withdrawn from the football competition at the 2025 SEA Games, citing safety concerns.
According to Cambodian media outlet Troryorng, the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) announced on Thursday, November 27th, that it is pulling eight sports from the Thailand-hosted SEA Games. The sports affected are football, judo, karate, pencak silat, petanque, wushu, wrestling, and sepak takraw.
A letter of withdrawal, signed by NOCC Secretary-General Yang Mulia Vath Chamroeun, was addressed to Dato Seri Chaiaypak Siriwat, CEO of the Asian Games Federation.
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The NOCC statement revealed that the primary reason for the withdrawals is the safety of its delegation – athletes and officials alike.
“The NOC of Cambodia would like to express its gratitude to the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) for their continued leadership, and also to the Thailand SEA Games Organizing Committee (THASOC) for their commitment and dedication to the preparation for the upcoming SEA Games. We would like to formally inform the SEAGF that Cambodia will be withdrawing from 8 sports,” the NOCC statement read.
“This adjustment is due to significant security concerns, which have compromised the safety and protection of our athletes and officials,” they added.
Cambodia is not making a complete withdrawal from the 2025 SEA Games, and will still compete in 13 sports: swimming, athletics, esports, fencing, gymnastics, jiujitsu, kickboxing, taekwondo, equestrian, jet ski, triathlon, tekbal, and volleyball.
This marks the first time Cambodia’s U-23 national team will be absent from the SEA Games, having participated consistently since 2001.
The Angkor Warriors were in strong form recently, completing the AFC U-23 Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in September with an undefeated record in the group stage, though they ultimately failed to advance to the final tournament. This withdrawal comes as a surprise given their recent performance.
Cambodia’s U-23 team had already been drawn into Group A for the 2025 SEA Games alongside host nation Thailand and Timor Leste. The tournament draw is now expected to be revised following the withdrawal.
The 2025 SEA Games will be held in Thailand, marking the 33rd edition of the Southeast Asian multi-sport event, scheduled to run from December 9th to 20th.
(yna/aff)
