BANGKOK – Eleven sports at the Southeast Asian Games hosted by Thailand in December will be moved mostly to the capital Bangkok because of severe flooding, organisers have said.
Enormous floods overwhelmed southern Thailand this week, particularly near the border with Malaysia in Songkhla, one of the planned hosts of the regional sports extravaganza.
Chonburi and Bangkok are the other areas for the Games, which are on December 9-20.
Among the sports being moved are men’s football, chess, judo, karate and wrestling.
The adjustments less than two weeks before the Games begin were “to ensure safety for athletes, officials and spectators”, SEA Games Thailand 2025 said in a Facebook post Thursday.
It added: “The organising committee reaffirmed that despite the venue changes, Thailand remains fully committed to delivering an efficient, well-managed and world-class 33rd SEA Games, reinforcing the confidence of all participating nations.”
The Thai government said in a statement late Thursday that the death toll from several days of flooding in Songkhla province had jumped to 55, up from six the previous day.
Days of heavy rain across Indonesia, Malaysia and southern Thailand have inundated cities, trapped thousands and caused deadly landslides. – AFP
