National anthem hiccup leaves SEA Games organisers "red-faced"

The 33rd SEA Games organisers were left red-faced even before the official start of the tournament next week following a hiccup in the pre-football match formalities between Laos and Vietnam after the sound of the two countries’ national anthem went silent on Thursday.

The 2025 edition of the region’s biennial sporting event will get underway next Tuesday and last until December 20 in Bangkok and Chon Buri. Competition in some sports including football and badminton, though, commenced ahead of the official opening of the Games.

Vietnam vs Laos fixture at the Rajamangala National Stadium on Wednesday was the opening match of the SEA Games men’s football competition. As the pre-match formalities proceeded, players on both sides were left standing awkwardly while waiting for the sound of their respective national anthem that did not come.

The Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) governor Dr Gongsak Yodmani said he was already aware of the hiccup and attributed it to technical glitch, confirming it has nothing to do with the song copyright.

“I already learnt of the incident and would inspect the problem at the site. The national anthem going silent at the venue doesn’t concern with the song copyright.

“It’s just an error in the stadium’s audio system. We already tested the system two days before and it operated normally. We didn’t know why it occurred. We would get it fixed and there would be no such problem in other games,” said Dr Gongsak.

The SAT governor revealed his agency would send a formal letter apologising for the incident to both Vietnam’s and Laos’ delegations.