After the rampant fielding of naturalized imports in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, 2025 host Thailand is set to limit its number for the next edition of the biennial meet.
Philippine Olympic president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said this will be done as early as the 33rd edition in Bangkok and Chonburi but couldn’t finalize how long the residency a naturalized player needs to be eligible.
‘The residency is something we weren’t able to finish because one country said it will be useless.’
“We already talked about that. There’s already going to be a limit in Thailand,” Tolentino said.
“The residency is something we weren’t able to finish because one country said it will be useless.”
In an effort to jack up its own medal tally, Cambodia hired athletes from all over the world in order to help the host get as many medals as possible.
The biggest beneficiaries were the Cambodian national men’s and women’s basketball teams, which fielded American players.
Another example is Korean cue artist Woo Donghoon, who defeated pool legend Efren “Bata” Reyes in the quarterfinal of the men’s three-cushion carom.
The host country had its best medal haul in the 2023 SEA Games, getting 81 golds, 74 silvers and 127 bronzes for a total of 282 medals and good for fourth place.
