SEA Games in Cambodia: Workers and athletes call buildup 'a mess'

From construction to ticket allocation, snarls beset first-time host ahead of Friday opening

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The scene near the Morodok Techo National Sports Complex just weeks before the May 5 opening of the SEA Games. (Photo by Fiona Kelliher)

FIONA KELLIHER and MECH DARA, Contributing writers

PHNOM PENH -- Sixteen-year-old Sum Sam Ath arrived at Phnom Penh's Olympic Stadium around noon Tuesday, hoping to receive a promised free ticket for a soccer match at the upcoming Southeast Asian Games.

Traffic was jammed around the block as hundreds pooled at the stadium's front gate. Some sat waiting on their motorbikes, while others stood in a giant crowd or sat on the ground, constantly refreshing Facebook on their phones to claim resale tickets.

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