CITING safety concerns for its athletes amid a rapidly escalating border conflict with host nation Thailand, Cambodia has withdrawn its entire delegation from the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, an Olympic official confirmed Wednesday.
The decision comes as renewed hostilities have derailed a US-brokered truce and forced a mass exodus of civilians from both sides of the disputed frontier.
The National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) chief, Vath Chamroeun, conveyed the decision in a letter to the Southeast Asian Games Federation, stating that all of the country’s athletes would be brought home. Cambodia had previously withdrawn from eight sports at the Thailand-hosted Games.
“Due to serious concerns and requests from the families of our athletes to have their relatives return home immediately, NOCC must withdraw all of our delegation and arrange for their prompt return to Cambodia for safety reasons,” Chamroeun wrote.
According to officials, at least 11 soldiers and civilians have been killed on both sides of the border.
The SEA Games, taking place in Bangkok and the nearby coastal province of Chonburi until December 20, feature thousands of athletes from Southeast Asian countries competing in a wide array of sports. However, the renewed combat between Thailand and Cambodia over a long-standing border dispute has overshadowed the event.
