Atthakorn denies signing contract for SEA Games 2025 ceremony design
Tourism and Sports Minister Atthakorn responds to SEA Games 2025 design drama, denying ever signing a contract. He clarifies that budget approval came after the team’s work was cancelled.
Minister of Tourism and Sports Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn addressed the controversy surrounding the sudden change in the SEA Games 2025 opening and closing ceremony design team.
He stated that the situation had caused him harm, as he was accused without the opportunity to clarify, and he confirmed that he had never known or hired the company that made the complaint.
Atthakorn explained that he only assumed office on October 1, and the budget for the ceremonies, totalling 450 million baht, was only approved in mid-October as part of the overall 2.05 billion baht budget for the event. Therefore, he emphasised that it was "impossible" for any contracts to have been signed or agreements made prior to that.
“If the designers claim to have worked on the preparations for seven months and had discussions with government agencies, they must explain who they spoke to, as the ministry had not established a team or taken any action during that period,” he said.
“I was accused of withdrawing funds for the opening ceremony, which is untrue, as no contract had ever been signed,” he added.
Previously, artistic director Rueangrith Suntisuk shared the collapse of the opening and closing ceremony plans for SEA Games 2025, a project he and his team had spent seven months developing.
Despite having no prior experience with government projects, the team invested their own funds and designed the ceremonies from scratch. They faced challenges, including a venue relocation from Sanam Luang to Rajamangala Stadium due to budget constraints and security concerns after the Cambodia-Thailand border clashes.
By September, communication issues arose following a change in government, leading to delays and a lack of clear answers. In October, Rueangrith learned that a new SEA Games team had taken over, and after waiting two weeks without confirmation, he decided to halt the project.
Despite his team no longer being part of the project, Rueangrith expressed his support for those still working on the SEA Games, wishing them success in delivering a safe and proud event for Thailand.
