BANGKOK - The Southeast Asian Games officially open in Bangkok on Tuesday against a backdrop of chaotic organisation and with fresh border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia threatening to overshadow the sporting showpiece.
The SEA Games run until December 20 in Bangkok and the nearby coastal province of Chonburi, with thousands of athletes from 11 southeast Asian countries competing in events ranging from football and fencing to skateboarding, sailing and combat sports.
They include world-class performers such as Olympic weightlifting gold medallists Hidilyn Diaz of the Philippines and Rizki Juniansyah of Indonesia, and Thailand's badminton silver medallist Kunlavut Vitidsarn.
Organisers have been criticised for some embarrassing stumbles even before the opening ceremony takes place at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok on Tuesday.
On the first day of sporting events last week, national anthems failed to play before a men's football match between Vietnam and Laos, leaving the athletes and coaches singing without music.
The head of Thailand's Sports Authority, a SEA Games organiser, blamed an audio system glitch and issued an apology, according to local media.
Thailand then played East Timor in a largely empty stadium after Thai football fans boycotted the match because of ticket rules requiring registration with ID and disquiet over their seating allocation.
Authorities said the registration is necessary because of security and it will continue.
Despite criticism on social media and from sports fans, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who took office in September, defended his government's efforts in staging the Games, noting the last-minute venue changes because of the flooding and fresh costs.
Sports Authority governor Gongsak Yodmani admitted in an interview with local media last week that a tight budget and the government transition had disrupted preparations.
"The opening ceremony might not be as grand, but it will be elegant and dignified," he said.
Thailand is hosting the SEA Games, which take place every two years, for the first time since 2007. They were first held in Bangkok in 1959.