The 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand began its official competition on 10/12 with a series of organizational blunders and controversies. The host nation's organizing committee faced criticism for displaying incorrect national flags, errors in scoring and medal tallies, and a significant taekwondo dispute. Adding to the turmoil, Cambodia's sports delegation abruptly withdrew from the Games, citing safety concerns.

The 3x3 basketball schedule became an early focal point of criticism. At the venue for both men's and women's events, the information board displayed incorrect national flags for matches involving Malaysia against Laos, Philippines against Vietnam, and Thailand against Vietnam. This error, considered highly sensitive as it pertains directly to national sovereignty, was not an isolated incident. The organizing committee had previously confused the national flags of Vietnam and Laos in the women's futsal schedule and displayed incorrect flags and territories during the opening ceremony on 9/12.

The organizing committee's error in displaying incorrect national flags for Malaysia, Laos, Philippines, and Vietnam. *Screenshot*

Further issues plagued the basketball competition. During the Laos-Malaysia match, despite the correct national flag being shown, the system incorrectly labeled the Laos team as "UNK" (Unknown) for over 5 minutes at the start of the game, surprising spectators.

Incorrect country name displayed during the Malaysia vs. Laos 3x3 basketball match. *Screenshot*

The medal tally updates were also slow and lacked professionalism. By 16h on 10/12, the first official day of competition, the Vietnam delegation had secured 9 medals: one gold, two silvers, and six bronzes. However, the official website only reflected 3 bronze medals for Vietnam. Thailand currently led the overall tally with 14 medals, comprising 8 golds, 5 silvers, and one bronze.

The medal tally had not been updated despite Vietnam winning 9 medals. *Screenshot*

A major controversy erupted at the taekwondo venue in the Fashion Island shopping center in Bangkok, where both Vietnam and the Philippines filed official complaints. They cited clear referee bias towards Singapore in the mixed pair poomsae event, leading to accusations of a "stolen" gold medal.

The dispute stemmed from puzzling decisions by the referee panel, with blatant biased scoring that seemingly helped Singapore secure the gold medal. A Philippine reporter described this gold medal as "stolen". Immediately after the final, Vietnam's team leader Nguyen Thu Trang and coach Nguyen Minh Tu lodged a complaint with the organizing committee. The Philippines followed suit, alleging inaccurate scoring by referees in their earlier semifinal match against Singapore.

Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino speaks with a referee. *Duc Dong*

Vietnamese representatives asserted that the Singaporean pair made three errors in the final—the female athlete committed two, and the male athlete had one balance error—yet these were overlooked by the referees. Singapore received high scores of 8,84 and 8,50, while Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Kim Ha and Nguyen Trong Phuc, despite a strong performance, only scored 8,50 and 8,38. The Vietnamese and Philippine taekwondo delegations submitted video evidence of the matches to the organizing committee. However, referees refused to accept this footage as evidence or use it for re-scoring.

Taekwondo competition was temporarily halted for a few hours while referees deliberated. By 13h30, the organizing committee upheld the original result, and the Vietnamese athletes accepted the silver medal.

The first day also saw chaos as the Cambodian sports delegation announced its withdrawal, citing athlete safety concerns related to the ongoing border conflict with Thailand. This decision shocked many, especially since Cambodia had participated in the opening ceremony just one day prior and received a warm welcome.

This withdrawal caused significant inconvenience for the Games, forcing the SEA Games 33 organizing committee to adjust schedules for affected sports. Some events will now feature only two participating nations but will still proceed to contest gold medals.

The Cambodian sports delegation at the opening ceremony of SEA Games 33 at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on the evening of 9/12. *Duc Dong*

Vy Anh