On the evening of December 3, the Organizing Committee of the 33rd SEA Games officially sent a letter of apology to the Vietnam Olympic Committee and the Lao Olympic Committee for not playing the background music before the opening match of Group B of men's football between U22 Vietnam and U22 Laos at Rajamangala Stadium.
This incident is considered rare in international sporting tournaments, forcing the players of both teams to sing their own national anthems before the match starts.
In the letter sent, the Organizing Committee stated: "We would like to express our deepest apologies to all parties involved for the technical problems that led to the inability to perform the National Anthem on schedule. We are committed to not letting this situation happen again and hope to receive sympathy from all relevant parties."
Thai media also quickly reported and criticized the domestic organizers for this incident. Despite difficulties in the pre-match rituals, U22 Vietnam still won 2-1 against U22 Laos thanks to a double from striker Nguyen Dinh Bac, thereby temporarily leading Group B.
The incident of not playing the National Anthem has created controversy and is considered a lesson in organization and technique at the 33rd SEA Games, especially since this is an event that gathers many sports delegations in Southeast Asia.
