Hannah Jy Calud Panolino: Blog No. 3

Southeast Asian Games

According to wiki sources, Southeast Asian Games (also known as the SEA Games), is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia.

The Southeast Asian Games owes its origins to the South East Asian Peninsula Games or SEAP Games. 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 sport organization. Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam and Cambodia (with Singapore included thereafter) were the founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biennially.

The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok from 12–17 December 1959 comprising more than 527 athletes and officials from Thailand, Burma, Malaya (now Malaysia), Singapore, South Vietnam and Laos participating in 12 sports.

At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, 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 Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), and the games were known as the Southeast Asian Games.

Since the Southeast Asian Games began in 1959, it has been held in 15 different cities across all Southeast Asian countries except Cambodia and Timor Leste.

Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games Federation logo and flag.
First event	1959 SEAP Games in Bangkok, Thailand
Occur every	2 years
Last event	2015 SEA Games in Kallang, Singapore
Purpose	Multi-sport event for nations on the Southeast Asian continent

The Southeast Asian Games once again return to Singapore in 2015, after a 22-year long hiatus. Awarded the bid by the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) in November 2011, the 28th SEA Games held from June 5 – 16, 2015.

Previously hosting the Games in 1973, 1983 and 1993, Singapore’s fourth time hosting the games is especially significant to the republic as it celebrates its 50th year of independence in 2015. This presents Singapore with the perfect opportunity to reinforce regional peace and friendship with its regional neighbors. 36 sports and 402 events will feature in the 28th SEA Games Singapore 2015. The sports are aquatics (swimming, synchronized swimming, diving, waterpolo), archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, billiards & snooker, bowling, boxing, canoeing, cycling, equestrian, fencing, floorball, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, judo, netball, petanque, rowing, rugby 7s, sailing, sepak takraw, shooting, silat, softball, squash, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, dragon boat, triathlon, volleyball, wakeboard & waterski, and wushu.