Malaysian officials closely watch Songkhla flood situation for SEA Games 2025, prioritising contingent safety with possible travel changes.
THE Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and National Sports Council (NSC) are closely monitoring the flood situation in Songkhla, which is one of the cluster venues for the SEA Games 2025 in Thailand from Dec 9-20.
Malaysian deputy chef de mission Datuk Kenny Goh said its secretariat is in constant communication with the Thailand SEA Games Committee to obtain the latest information regarding the flood situation in the province.
He said their priority is to ensure the safety of the Malaysian contingent, adding that it was still too early to decide on any contingency plans, including the possibility of taking a flight there instead of travelling by land.
“The secretariat is monitoring the situation there. I understand that they are in constant contact with the organisers. For now, we are still waiting… I feel that we still have time. We hope the floods will recede and everything will be back to normal.
“Otherwise, there is a big possibility that we may take a flight there, but I do not want to make any projections. As I said, our priority is the safety of the national contingent. If plans need to be changed, we will change,” he said when met after he observed the national squash players’ training session here today.
He also said that, so far, there has been no official information about any venues being affected by floods in Songkhla.
On Saturday (Nov 22), Malaysian Consul-General in Songkhla Ahmad Fahmi Ahmad Sarkawi advised Malaysians to postpone travelling to the southern Thailand province due to the deluge following continuous downpour.
The floods left about 4,000 Malaysians stranded in hotels around Songkhla. For the record, Songkhla is scheduled to host chess, judo, karate, Muay Thai, pencak silat, wrestling, wushu, football and futsal. – Bernama
