PETALING JAYA: The 33rd SEA Games events scheduled in Songkhla will take place in Bangkok instead due to ongoing flooding and concerns over venue conditions and the risk of disease outbreaks.
10 sports - boxing, men's football, pencak silat, chess, judo, karate, kabbadi, petanque, wrestling and wushu - will now need to find new venues in Bangkok.
The ongoing severe flooding in southern Thailand, particularly in Songkhla, which was one of the three hosts for the 33rd SEA Games resulted in the official decision to relocate all competitions from Songkhla to Bangkok tonight.
Chalitrat Chantarubeksa, the deputy secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT), was quoted by the Thai media saying he received confirmation from Chaiyapak Siriwat, vice president of the Olympic Committee of Thailand and Chairman of the SEA Games Committee, that all competitions originally set for Songkhla will now be moved to Bangkok.
The Thailand SEA Games will take place from Dec 9-20. The Olympic Council of Malaysia, however, have yet to receive official confirmation of the news.
