'Definitely will test gender at SEA Games'

This information was originally given by the Director General of the Sports Authority of Thailand, Kongsak Yodmanee, on August 16. Mr. Yodmanee then revealed that there would be gender testing at the 33rd SEA Games.

Immediately, this information caused a stir in the regional sports community, because mass gender testing is almost unprecedented at the SEA Games.

There has been much controversy over the past time. Many experts still believe that this may just be an "empty threat" from Thailand because gender testing is controversial in the world of top sports, and is also very complicated and expensive.

But after the meeting on the afternoon of August 20, the SEA Games organizing committee maintained its stance, confirming that Mr. Yodmanee's previous revelation was completely true.

Specifically, the Chairman of the SEA Games Council and Vice Chairman of the Thai Olympic Committee - Mr. Chaiyaphak Siriwat confirmed this information to the Thai press.

"Gender testing will definitely be conducted at the 33rd SEA Games. The testing process and method will depend on each federation responsible for each sport," Thairath newspaper quoted Mr. Siriwat.

Mr. Siriwat also affirmed that the SEA Games Council is an independent organization compared to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) so it will have full authority in gender testing.

Previously, Mr. Yodmanee revealed that the gender testing will only focus on "competitive sports where the advantage of gender cheating will be very clear." From this statement, experts believe that the sports that will be tested for gender could be football, volleyball, and martial arts.

Mr. Siriwat's statement is very weighty, because this Thai sports leader is one of the vice presidents of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Yesterday, the Vietnamese sports world was in an uproar when athlete Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen withdrew from the volleyball team participating in the World Championship. It is possible that Bich Tuyen will also withdraw from the 33rd SEA Games.