Organizers for the 33rd Southeast Asian Games are closely monitoring the severe flood situation in Thailand’s Songkhla province and are developing contingency plans for potential venue relocation. This critical assessment and planning process was reported on November 26, 2025.
Mr. Chalitrat Chantrubeksa, the Deputy Secretary-General of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, provided an update on the preparations for the upcoming SEA Games. The event is slated to take place across three key host locations: Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla. Given the current significant flooding in Songkhla, organizers are diligently tracking the conditions and convening meetings to formulate a comprehensive response strategy. This strategy includes the possibility of transferring some competition venues to either Bangkok or Chonburi if conditions necessitate such a move.
Further elaborating on the situation, Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, confirmed that the status of the SEA Games in Songkhla is under constant review and evaluation. Dr. Yodmanee expressed a hopeful outlook, indicating that Songkhla is still prepared to host its scheduled events if the flood situation improves sufficiently before the games commence. He also noted that any necessary venue adjustments might be managed internally within Songkhla province, rather than necessitating an outright transfer to other host cities. Dr. Yodmanee emphasized his expectation that the SEA Games would serve as a vital tool to stimulate the local economy and support Songkhla’s recovery following the current crisis.
Songkhla province is designated to host a substantial portion of the games, encompassing 10 different sports and offering a total of 109 gold medals. These sports include boxing, Pencak silat, men’s football, chess, judo, Kabaddi, karate, wrestling, petanque, and wushu. As a proactive measure to ensure athlete safety and event continuity, the boxing competition has already undergone an internal venue change, relocating from the Southern City Stadium to the Songkhla University International Convention Center.
The 33rd Southeast Asian Games are scheduled to run from December 9 to December 20, 2025. This major multi-sport event will unfold across the three designated Thai cities: Bangkok, Songkhla, and Chonburi. Approximately 12,500 athletes from 11 Southeast Asian nations are anticipated to participate, competing for 574 medals across 50 diverse sports disciplines.
