Bangkok, Chon Buri and Songkhla have been officially selected as the hosts of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2025.
The decision was made by a meeting of the Sport Authority of Thailand presided over by Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon on Wednesday.
Aside from the 33rd SEA Games, participants also discussed the selection of a province to host the 13th Asean Para Games, as well as a budget allocation from the National Sports Development Fund.
Bangkok, Chon Buri and Songkhla will be the main provinces to host the SEA Games from Dec 9-20, 2025, while Nakhon Ratchasima will host the Asean Para Games from Jan 20-26, 2026.
Gen Prawit urged authorities in the provinces selected as the main hosts of the major events to ensure their preparedness for international sport competitions.
In addition, the committee acknowledged its annual budgets for expenditure, investment and reserve funds, as well as key performance indicators in the first quarter.
The 2023 SEA Games will be staged in Cambodia from May 5-17. In the run-up to that competition, there is bad blood between Thailand and Cambodia over the hosts’ decision to refer to a kickboxing event — which they regard as their national sport — on the official programme as Kun Khmer instead of Muay Thai. Thailand has said it will boycott the event.