Thailand–Cambodia Cultural Identity Conflict
Thailand-Cambodia dispute over Kun Khmer vs Muay Thai at 2023 SEA Games
OCCURRED May 5 · 12:00 UTCRECORDED 2026-09-03T19:24:43.599Zfact_zln5i6w9n7
⚠ DISPUTEDfactrepo verdict
Multiple reputable sources confirm the dispute over naming the martial arts event at the 2023 SEA Games, but they conflict on whether Thai officials protested during the games and whether Thai fighters competed. RFA and BenarNews report that Thailand threatened a boycott in January 2023 and that the dispute was settled before the games, while The Nation reported in February 2023 that Thailand would boycott. No source confirms that Thai officials protested during the games or that Thai fighters competed anyway.
In May 2023, the 32nd SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, included a martial arts competition under the name Kun Khmer, which Thailand argued should be called Muay Thai. Thailand's Olympic Committee threatened to boycott the event, but Cambodian officials said the dispute was resolved before the games. Reports conflict on whether Thailand ultimately boycotted and whether Thai fighters competed.
LOCATION Phnom Penh, CambodiaACTORS National Olympic Committee of Thailand, Cambodian SEA Games Organising Committee, Cambodian government#sea-games #kun-khmer #muay-thai #cambodia #thailand #sports-dispute
SOURCES (4)
- [1]Thai Olympic Committee mum after Cambodia says kickboxing name dispute was settledRFA · www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/seagames-01262023171021.html
- [2]Thai Olympic Committee mum after Cambodia says kickboxing name dispute was settledBenarNews · www.benarnews.org/english/news/thai/name-crisis-01262023173324.html
- [3]Thailand to boycott SEA Games Muay Thai after Cambodia changes nameThe Nation Thailand · www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40024514
- [4]2023 SEA Games - WikipediaWikipedia · en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_SEA_Games
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