Thailand national Muay Thai head coach alleges medal manipulation and match fixing at SEA Games

The allegations stem from the men's 54kg final between Thailand fighter Thongchai Huanaek and Malaysia’s Wassof bin Rumijam on Wednesday.

According to reports, Huanaek appeared to dominate the bout. He attacked continuously in the first round but was given a lower score. In the second round, Huanaek continued to press his advantage. By the final round, the Malaysia fighter showed signs of a leg injury, while Huanaek remained in control, landing effective strikes.

Despite this, the judges awarded the victory to Rumijam with a score of 29-28, triggering a wave of boos and protests from the stands at Lumpinee Stadium.

The scoring in the finals was considered "unconvincing", sparking outrage among experts and fans. Thailand national Muay Thai head coach, Sergeant Surajit Thonganan, stated that he had anticipated the controversial outcomes.

Thailand's Thongchai Huanaek (R) and Malaysia’s Wassof bin Rumijam during the Muay Thai men's 54kg final at the 33rd SEA Games on Dec. 17, 2025. Photo taken from Instagram

"I thought something like this would happen," he told Khaosod. "Today everyone clearly saw that our opponents couldn't do anything to us, but I really don't know what else to say."

The coach expressed frustration that his athletes, who trained all year with the goal of winning gold on home soil, were victims of predetermined results, even when Thailand is the host.

"I can say frankly that there was a whole process of rigging the results and manipulating the medals," Thonganan emphasized. "This prevents Muay Thai from developing, and it's not just happening in this tournament, it has existed for a long time. I dare to affirm that."

Huanaek, 25, admitted he was stunned by the decision because he thought he had a better performance.

"I thought I would win no matter what," Huanaek said. "The referee made many questionable decisions. Every time I prepared to pin my opponent down or throw my next punch, there was quick intervention. At the end of the match, I still believed that I would win, but everyone could see the result."

The Thailand fighter also admitted that he had somewhat anticipated this scenario.

"I think the draw was favorable because Malaysia fighters had lost quite a lot before. Perhaps the medals were already allocated. As an athlete, I couldn't do anything more. I apologize to the fans for not being able to bring the gold medal home."

Amidst the growing suspicions of medal manipulation, Sakchai Thapsuwan, president of the Amateur Muaythai Association of Thailand and the International Federation of Muay Thai Associations (IFMA), firmly denied the allegations, Matichon reported.

"We have never had, and do not have, a policy of allocating medals," Sakchai affirmed. "Winning and losing are entirely based on the athletes' abilities. Opinions that the referees performed below standard are individual perspectives."

Sakchai acknowledged that some scoring decisions were controversial at this SEA Games, but overall, it ended in satisfaction. He noted that the referee team is appointed by the SEA Games Organizing Committee, not the federation. Therefore, questions related to officiating should be directed to the head of the refereeing department of the organizing committee.

He promised to review official reports before taking further action.

"Personally, I watched the matches from start to finish, and there were times when I felt the results weren't entirely convincing," he admitted. "However, I was sitting in the stands, while the referees were closer to the ring, so they might have observed things that we couldn't see clearly."

Despite the controversy, Thailand concluded the Muay Thai event with 11 gold medals, 6 silver medals and one bronze.