SEA Games

SEA GamesAbbreviationSEA GamesFirst event1959 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games in Bangkok, ThailandOccur everyEvery two yearsNext event2027 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang and Johor, MalaysiaPurposeMulti sport event for nations on the Southeast Asian subcontinentHeadquartersBangkok, ThailandPresidentChaiyapak Siriwat SEA GamesGames

The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.

The SEA Games is one of the five subregional Games of the Olympic Council of Asia, the others being South Asian Games, West Asian Games, East Asian Games, and Central Asian Games.[1]

The SEA Games owes its origins to the South East Asian Peninsular Games or SEAP Games (abbreviated as SEAPG). On 22 May 1958, delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian Peninsula attending the Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan had a meeting and agreed to establish a sports organization. The SEAP Games was conceptualized by Luang Sukhum Nayapradit, then vice-president of the Thailand Olympic Committee. The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote co-operation, understanding, and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian region.

Six countries, Burma (now Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Malaya (now Malaysia), Thailand and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) were the founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biennially in June 1959 and the SEAP Games Federation Committee was formed thereafter.[2]

The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok from 12 to 17 December 1959, with more than 527 athletes and officials from 6 countries; Burma (now Myanmar), Laos, Malaya, Singapore, South Vietnam and Thailand participated in 12 sports.

At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, while South Vietnam was fallen and no longer existed, the SEAP Federation considered the inclusion of Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines. These countries were formally admitted in 1977, the same year when SEAP Federation changed their name to the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), and the games were known as the Southeast Asian Games. The unified Vietnam (Socialist Republic of Vietnam) returned to the games' 15th edition in 1989. Timor-Leste, one year after gaining independence from Indonesia, was admitted at the 22nd SEA Games in 2003.

The 2009 SEA Games was the first time Laos has ever hosted a SEA Games (Laos had previously declined to host the 1965 SEAP Games citing financial difficulties). Running from 9-18 December, it has also commemorated the 50 years of the SEA Games, held in Vientiane, Laos. The 2023 SEA Games, held from 5-17 May, was the first time Cambodia has ever hosted a SEA Games (Cambodia was awarded the 1963 SEAP Games, which was cancelled due to domestic political situation).

For the 2023 SEA hosted in Phnom Penh, the organising committee implemented several first-time provisions aimed at supporting participating nations. The Government of Cambodia covered the cost of food and accommodation for all athletes and sports delegates, waiving the typical daily fee previously charged to delegations. In addition, no fees were charged for broadcast rights, and tickets were free for all spectators for both the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games competitions.[3][4]

In December 2025, the president of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, Raja Sapta Oktohari, proposed to the Southeast Asian Games Federation to broaden the scope of the event by creating a parallel event he called SEA Games Plus, which would be held in even-numbered years. He argued that introducing this would support athletes in bridging the gap between regional and international events, focus on holding more Olympic sports over regional sports, and eliminating the possibility for host nations to tamper with the SEA Games charter to maximise medal hauls. He said that the Indonesian Olympic Committee had been in talks with several National Olympic Committees outside of Southeast Asia in South Asia and Oceania to participate, such as Bhutan, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.[5] This plan was confirmed and clarified by the Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham Tolentino on 1 January 2026. The event, known as the SEA Plus Youth Games, was clarified to be a youth multi-sport tournament similar to the Youth Olympic Games for athletes aged 17 and under, and will involve all nine Southeast Asian nations, as well as one guest country from another Asian sub-region.[6][7]

The Southeast Asian Games symbol was introduced during the 1959 SEAP Games in Bangkok, depicting six rings that represent the six founding members and was used until the 1997 edition in Jakarta. The number of rings increased to 10 during the 1999 edition in Brunei to reflect the inclusion of Singapore, which was admitted into the Southeast Asian Games Federation in 1961, and Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines, which joined the organization in 1977. The number of rings was again increased to 11 during the 2011 Games in Indonesia to reflect the federation's newest member, East Timor, which was admitted in 2003.

Nation Code National Olympic Committee Created Debuted Brunei BRU Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council 1984 1977 Cambodia CAM National Olympic Committee of Cambodia 1983 1961 Indonesia INA Indonesian Olympic Committee 1946 1977 Laos LAO National Olympic Committee of Laos 1975 1959 Malaysia MAS Olympic Council of Malaysia 1953 1959 Myanmar MYA Myanmar Olympic Committee 1947 1959 Philippines PHI Philippine Olympic Committee 1911 1977 Singapore SGP Singapore National Olympic Council 1947 1959 Thailand THA National Olympic Committee of Thailand 1948 1959 Timor-Leste TLS National Olympic Committee of Timor Leste 2003 Vietnam VIE Vietnam Olympic Committee 1952 1959[a] Nation Code as SEAP Games as SEA Games Total 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 Brunei BRU • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 Cambodia[a] CAM • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • [b] 22 Indonesia INA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 Laos[c] LAO • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 Malaysia[d] MAS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 Myanmar[e] MYA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 Philippines PHI • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 Singapore SGP • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 Thailand THA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 Timor-Leste TLS part of Indonesia • • • • • • • • • • • • 12 Vietnam[f] VIE • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 Total 6 7 7 6 6 7 7 4 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 9 9 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 10 296 List of SEA Games No. Year Host cities Opened by[a] Date Sports Events Na. Com. Top-ranked Ref. SEAP Games 1 1959 Bangkok, Thailand King Bhumibol Adulyadej 12-17 December 12 67 6 518 Thailand (THA) [1] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 2 1961 Rangoon, Burma President Win Maung 11-16 December 13 86 7 623 Burma (BIR) [2] 3 1965 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Ismail Nasiruddin 14-21 December 14 134 7 963 Thailand (THA) [3] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 4 1967 Bangkok, Thailand King Bhumibol Adulyadej 9-16 December 16 144 6 984 [4] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 5 1969 Rangoon, Burma Prime Minister Ne Win 6-13 December 15 145 920 Burma (BIR) [5] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 6 1971 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Abdul Halim 6-13 December 15 156 7 957 Thailand (THA) [6] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 7 1973 Singapore President Benjamin Sheares 1-8 September 16 161 1,632 [7] 8 1975 Bangkok, Thailand King Bhumibol Adulyadej 9-16 December 18 172 4 1,142 [8] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine SEA Games 9 1977 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Yahya Petra 19-26 November 18 188 7 N/A Indonesia (INA) [9] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 10 1979 Jakarta, Indonesia President Soeharto 21-30 September 18 226 N/A [10] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 11 1981 Manila, Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos 6-15 December 18 245 ≈1,800 [11] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 12 1983 Singapore President Devan Nair 28 May - 6 June 18 233 8 N/A [12] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 13 1985 Bangkok, Thailand King Bhumibol Adulyadej 8-17 December 18 251 N/A Thailand (THA) [13] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 14 1987 Jakarta, Indonesia President Soeharto 9-20 September 26 372 N/A Indonesia (INA) [14] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 15 1989 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Azlan Shah 20-31 August 24 302 9 ≈2,800 [15] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 16 1991 Manila, Philippines President Corazon Aquino 24 November - 3 December 28 327 N/A [16] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 17 1993 Singapore President Wee Kim Wee 12-20 June 29 318 ≈3,000 [17] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 18 1995 Chiang Mai, Thailand Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn[b] 9-17 December 28 335 10 3,262 Thailand (THA) [18] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 19 1997 Jakarta, Indonesia President Soeharto 11-19 October 36 490 5,179 Indonesia (INA) [19] 20 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah 7-15 August 21 233 2,365 Thailand (THA) [20] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 21 2001 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Salahuddin 8-17 September 32 391 4,165 Malaysia (MAS) [21] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 22 2003 Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Prime Minister Phan Văn Khải[c] 5-13 December 32 442 11 ≈5,000 Vietnam (VIE) [22] 23 2005 Manila, Philippines President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo 27 November - 5 December 40 443 5,336 Philippines (PHI) [23] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 24 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn[b] 6-15 December 43 475 5,282 Thailand (THA) [8] 25 2009 Vientiane, Laos President Choummaly Sayasone 9-18 December 29 372 3,100 [24] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 26 2011 Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 11-22 November 44 545 5,965 Indonesia (INA) [25] 27 2013 Naypyidaw, Myanmar Vice President Nyan Tun[d] 11-22 December 34 460 4,730 Thailand (THA) [26] Archived 5 June 2020 at the Wayback Machine 28 2015 Singapore President Tony Tan 5-16 June 36 402 4,370 [27] 29 2017 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Muhammad V 19-30 August 38 404 4,709 Malaysia (MAS) [28] Archived 20 May 2021 at the Wayback Machine 30 2019 Philippines[e] President Rodrigo Duterte 30 November - 11 December 56 530 5,630 Philippines (PHI) [29] Archived 13 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine 31 2021 Hanoi, Vietnam[f] President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc 12-23 May 2022 40 523 5,467 Vietnam (VIE) 32 2023 Phnom Penh, Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen[g] 5-17 May 37 580 6,210 33 2025 Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand[h] King Vajiralongkorn 9-20 December 50 573 10[i] 9,199 Thailand (THA) 34 2027 Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang and Johor, Malaysia Yang di-Pertuan Agong Ibrahim Iskandar (expected) 18-29 September 38 Future event 35 2029 Singapore[11] Future event 36 2031 TBA, Laos[12] Future event 37 2033 TBA, Philippines[12] Future event

The 1963 SEAP Games were cancelled. As the designated host, Cambodia was unable to host the event due to instability in the country, along with a disagreement with the International Amateur Athletic Federation. The hosting rights for the 1965 SEAP Games were passed to Laos, but they withdrew, citing financial difficulties.[13] In 2023, Cambodia was finally able to host the Games for the first time.[14]

The SEAGF Charter and Rules mandate the minimum number of sports to be staged, with sports falling under numerous categories. Prior to 2023, a host nation must have staged a minimum of 22 sports: the two compulsory sports from Category 1 (athletics and aquatics), in addition to a minimum of 14 sports from Category 2 (Olympic and Asian Games core sports), and a maximum of 8 sports from Category 3. Each sport would not offer more than 5% of the total medal tally, except for athletics, aquatics and shooting (the shot was elevated for this category in 2013). For each sport and event to be included, a minimum of four countries must participate in it. Sports competed in the Olympic Games and Asian Games must be given priority.[2][15]

This charter was modified in 2023, with the first Games with this modification in effect was the 2025 edition.[16] Each edition will have a minimum of 36 sports, composed as follows: the compulsory Category 1 which comprises two subcategories: 1A, which consists of aquatics and athletics, and 1B, a minimum of 10 Olympic sports from the Summer Olympic Games. Under Category 2, the host must include a minimum of 10 other sports from the Olympic Games (summer/winter), Asian Games, and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games or Asian Beach Games. Category 3 is now capped at a maximum of four sports.[17][18]

List of SEA Games sports Category 1 Category 2 Category 3 1A 1B Olympic sports Asian Games / AIMAG / ABG sports Traditional[a] Other or ABG Sports[b] Athletics Archery 1977-1997, 2001-2021, since 2025 Billiards and snooker Since 1987 Arnis 1991, 2005, 2019, 2023 Aquathlon 2023-2025 Diving Since 1965 Badminton Bowling 1977-1979, 1983-2001, 2005-2007, 2011, 2015-2021, since 2025 Bokator 2023 Baseball5[19]2025 Artistic swimming 2001, 2011, 2015-2017, since 2025 Baseball 2005-2007, 2011, 2019, 2025 Chess 2003-2005, 2011-2013, 2019-2025 Chinlone 2013-2017, since 2023 Bodybuilding 1987-1993, 1997, 2003-2007, 2013, 2021 Swimming Basketball 1979-2003, 2007, since 2011 Cricket 2017, since 2023 Muay Thai 2005-2009, 2013, 2019-2021, since 2025 Beach handball 2019-2021 Water polo 1965-2019, since 2023 Boxing Dancesport2005-2007, 2019-2023 Traditional boat race 1993, 1997-1999, 2003-2007, 2011-2015, 2023-2025 Contract bridge 2011 Canoeing1985, 1995, 2001, 2005-2007, 2011-2015, 2019-2021, 2025 EsportsSince 2019 Kenpō2011-2013 Duathlon 2007, 2021-2025 Cycling1959-1979, since 1983 Finswimming2003, 2009-2011, 2021-2023 Kun Khmer2023 Floorball2015, 2019, 2023-2025 Equestrian1983, 1995, 2001, 2005-2007, 2011-2017, since 2025 Futsal2007, 2011-2013, 2017, 2021, since 2025 Vovinam2011-2013, 2021-2023 Lawn bowls 1999, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2017-2019, 2027 Fencing2003-2007, 2011, since 2015 Indoor hockey2017-2019, since 2023 Obstacle racing2019, 2023 Field hockey1971-1979, 1983, 1987-1989, 1993-2001, 2007, 2013-2017, since 2023 Ju-jitsu2019-2025 Paragliding2011, 2025 (as demonstration sport) Football Kickboxing2019-2025 PétanqueSince 2001 Golf1985-1997, 2001, since 2005 Kurash2019-2021 Polo2007, 2017-2019, 2025 Gymnastics1979-1981, 1985-1997, 2001-2007, 2011, since 2015 Netball2001, 2015-2019, since 2025 Shuttle cock2007-2009 Handball2005-2007, 2021, 2025 Pencak silat1987-1989, 1993-1997, since 2001 Soft tennis2011, 2019, 2023 Judo1967-1997, since 2001 Roller sports2011 Waterskiing1987, 1997, 2011, 2015-2019, since 2025 Karate1985-1991, 1995-1997, 2001-2013, since 2017 Rugby union1969, 1977-1979, 1995, 2007 Modern pentathlon2019, 2025 Sambo2019 Rowing1989-1991, 1997, 2001-2007, 2011-2015, 2019-2021, 2025 Sepak takraw1967-1969, since 1973 Rugby sevens2015-2019, since 2025 Squash1991-2001, 2005-2007, 2015-2019, since 2025 Sailing1961, 1967-1971, 1975-1977, 1983-1997, 2001, 2005-2007, 2011-2019, since 2023 Wushu1991-1993, 1997, since 2001 Shooting1959-2021, since 2025 Xiangqi2021-2023 Skateboarding2019, 2025 Softball1981-1983, 1989, 2003-2005, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2025 Sport climbing2011, 2025 Surfing2019 Table tennis TaekwondoSince 1985 Tennis1959-2011, since 2015 Triathlon2005-2007, since 2015 Volleyball1959-1997, since 2001 Weightlifting1959-1997, 2001-2013, since 2017 Wrestling1987, 1997, 2003-2013, since 2019 Figure skating2017-2019, since 2025 Ice hockey2017-2019, since 2025 Short track speed skating2017-2019, since 2025

Corrected after balancing the data of the Olympic Council of Asia and other archived sites which had kept the previous Southeast Asian Games medal tables. Some information from the aforementioned sites are missing, incorrect and or not updated.[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]

Last Uptdated after the 2025 SEA Games

All-time Southeast Asian Games medal tableRankNOCGoldSilverBronzeTotal1 Thailand2,6862,2812,3137,2802 Indonesia2,0721,9872,1016,1603 Malaysia[1]1,4331,4201,9904,8434 Vietnam[2]1,3561,1781,3313,8655 Philippines1,2301,4181,8554,5036 Singapore1,0971,1511,5873,8357 Myanmar[3]5948051,1442,5438 Cambodia[4]1592024257869 Laos7913143964910 Brunei186017525311 Timor-Leste3104659Totals (11 entries)10,72710,64313,40634,776

Various individuals have won multiple medals at the Games, including the preceding Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.

As of 2019, Singaporean swimmer Joscelin Yeo has won the most Southeast Asian Games medals with 55 (40 gold, 12 silver, 3 bronze). She reached this milestone during the 2005 Games, overtaking the previous record of 39 gold medals set by another Singaporean swimmer, Patricia Chan.

One unique characteristic of the event is that there are no official limits to the number of sports and events to be contested, and the range can be decided by the organizing host pending approval by the Southeast Asian Games Federation. This has seen as many as 50 to 56 sports for the 2025 and 2019 editions, respectively. Aside from mandatory sports, the host is free to drop or introduce other sports or events (See SEA Games sports).[27] This leeway has resulted in hosts maximizing their medal hauls by dropping sports disadvantageous to themselves relative to their peers and the introduction of obscure sports, often at short notice, thus preventing most other nations from building credible opponents.[28][29][30] Several nations have called for amending the charter of the games to address the issue.[31][32] In 2023, the SEA Games charter was modified in an effort to make the number of sports in each edition more standardized, reducing the host's leeway to remove several sports, maximize medal hauls by introducing obscure local sports, and tamper with the competition's rules.[17][33]

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