The World Pétanque and Bowls Federation has officially banned all pétanque (boules) competitions from the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Thailand from 9 to 25 December
In a letter dated 20 September, federation president Claude Azéma expressed serious concern over the “irresponsible conduct” of individuals within the Pétanque Federation of Thailand.
At the heart of the controversy is a former president of the Thai federation who was previously banned for life due to embezzlement, election manipulation, and sexual assault. Despite the lifetime ban, the individual is reported to still wield influence over the sport’s leadership in the country.
The global federation also criticised Thailand’s national sports authorities for enabling this continued influence and accused them of mismanaging funds allocated for pétanque.
In the letter, the federation stated that it “cannot allow the sport to become a tool for personal gain”, and declared that Thai officials are “incompetent and incapable of properly managing future pétanque competitions”.
As a result, the World Pétanque and Bowls Federation has withdrawn its support for pétanque events at this year’s Southeast Asian Games.
The international governing body also warned that any country sending athletes to compete in unsanctioned pétanque events during the Games could face a two-year suspension from major international tournaments. These include the World Games, the Asian Championships, the Asian Masters Games, and the 2027 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.
Azéma concluded the letter with a strong rebuke, warning that Thailand risks losing multiple titles and medals because of “one of its unworthy nationals, who should be permanently excluded from all sporting activities.”