Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
It is certain that the Cambodian U-23 national team will not compete in the sport of football SEA Games 2025 for security reasons.
Reporting from Vietnamese media Viet Bao, the decision to withdraw from football refers to a document sent by the Cambodian Olympic Committee (NOCC) to the SEA Games Organizing Committee. Apart from football, Cambodia withdrew from the sports of judo, karate, pencak silat, petanque, wrestling, wushu and sepak takraw.
With this decision, Cambodia will only compete in 13 sports from the initial plan of 21 sports to participate in the 2025 SEA Games. Reportedly, this decision was taken by the NOCC for security reasons.
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“The reason Cambodia announced its withdrawal from these events was due to security concerns and efforts to protect the safety of athletes and officials,” wrote Viet Bao.
“However, Cambodia emphasized that it would still send a number of delegations and hoped that all parties could understand the situation.”
As is known, there is tension in relations between Cambodia and Thailand due to the conflict that occurred on the border.
With Cambodia withdrawing from the sport of football, the composition of the competition in the group phase is unequal. A redraw may be inevitable.
Group A only consists of Thailand and Timor Leste, while Group B consists of Vietnam, Malaysia and Laos. Group C involves four countries: Indonesia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Myanmar.
(jal/sry)
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