Cambodia is among the six founding members of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) in 1959 but started participating at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games when it was still known as the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1961.
Cambodia is one of the six founding members of the SEAP Games Federation, but withdrew from the inaugural edition, the 1959 SEAP Games in Bangkok, Thailand.
It first took part at the 1961 SEAP Games in Yangon, Burma. Cambodia cancelled its supposed hosting of the SEAP Games in 1963 and did not enter the SEAP Games in 1967 hosted by Thailand.
Cambodia did not participate in the SEAP Games later renamed as the SEA Games under the Khmer Rouge, only returning in the 1983 edition after the Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea (CGDK) was installed.
Cambodia again withdrew in the 1989 SEA Games agreeing to demands of Laos and Vietnam as a prerequisite to them rejoining the games. Cambodia only rejoined in the 1995 SEA Games after the Kingdom of Cambodia was restored.
At the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, Cambodia withdrew amidst the 2025 CambodiaâÂÂThailand conflict having already participated in the opening ceremony.