Thailand apologizes for failure to play Vietnam, Laos national anthems in SEA Games match

In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the 33rd SEA Games organizing committee said a technical error prevented the scheduled playing of the Vietnamese and Laotian anthems before the Group B opener at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok.

Players from both under-22 teams sang their anthems a cappella on the pitch.

Organizers called the incident a serious and rare lapse for a major sporting event and said they had sent apology letters to both Olympic committees immediately after the match.

“We extend our deepest apologies to all parties involved for the technical issues during the football match between Laos U22s and Vietnam U22s, which resulted in the failure to conduct the national anthems as planned,” the committee said.

It pledged to prevent a recurrence.

Thai media sharply criticized the organizers over the incident.

Vietnam’s U22 team went on to defeat Laos 2–1, with striker Nguyen Dinh Bac scoring a brace.

The 33rd SEA Games, scheduled to take place from December 9 to 20 in Thailand, will feature 10,543 athletes, coaches, and experts from 11 Southeast Asian countries competing in 50 sports.

Several events were held prior to the official opening ceremony.

Vietnam is sending a delegation of 1,165 members to the Games, including 842 athletes and 189 coaches, competing in 47 of the 50 sports across 443 of 573 events.