Picture courtesy of Amarin

 

The World Petanque Federation (FIPJP) and the World Petanque and Bowls Federation (WPBF) on 22 September, announced a ban on petanque competitions at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. The ban comes amid concerns over the qualifications of the current executive committee of the Petanque Association of Thailand, preventing Thai athletes from participating in international competitions. Any nation that enters athletes in the SEA Games event risks a two-year suspension from global tournaments, including the World Games, Asian Games and Asian Masters Games.

 

The dispute follows issues with the latest election of the association’s president, who is accused of misconduct, including embezzlement, election fraud and sexual harassment. WPBF President Mr Claude Azéma formally notified the Olympic Committee of Thailand on 20 September 2025 that the association had been removed from world membership. The federation confirmed that the president’s actions, which violated the responsibilities of the role, had caused harm to thousands of athletes nationwide.

 

In response, a central committee for petanque was appointed by the Thai Olympic Committee, including representatives from the Sports Authority of Thailand and the Bowling Association of Thailand, to manage the sport and prepare athletes for competition. WPBF recognised this committee as the official organiser for Thai athletes, but the Sports Authority reportedly refused to fully implement its recommendations, allowing the problematic association leadership to continue using public funds for personal gain.

 

Professor Pimon Srivikram, president of the Olympic Committee of Thailand, stated that efforts to resolve the issues were ongoing but had ultimately failed to secure participation in the SEA Games. He highlighted that the athletes selected by the central committee had recently achieved world championship success, winning three titles and one bronze medal from five events, demonstrating their capability to compete at SEA Games level.

 

Looking ahead, WPBF will notify all relevant national Olympic committees and the Thai government of the decision. Thai athletes will remain unable to compete in SEA Games petanque events and any participation by other ASEAN nations will risk international sanctions until the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Petanque will not be contested at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand due to governance issues in the national association.

• WPBF removed the Thai association from world membership and imposed a two-year competition ban for violations.

• A central committee approved by WPBF has been recognised to manage Thai athletes, but implementation conflicts persist.

 

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  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-09-23

 

 

 

 

well done, a nice slap on the face of these corrupt morons. This is best face loosing news lately, love it!

But... but, splutter, don't they know that corruption has never been a barrier to Thailand's pétanque success? Thailand is a hub or pétanque. Was...

19 hours ago, brfsa2 said:

well done, a nice slap on the face of these corrupt morons. This is best face loosing news lately, love it!

Me too. I don't think public will notice it.

Oh no!  Petanque was the only reason I was going to visit these games! 😜

Never mind, Thailand still leads the world championship for the highest number of thugs and crooks appointed to government positions.

Balls to them!

It's just a game for tossers.