2019 SEA Games

As per SEA Games traditions, hosting duties are rotated among the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) member countries. Each country is assigned to host the event in a predetermined year, but the country can choose to withdraw or not host that edition. In July 2012, the SEAGF meeting in Myanmar confirmed that Malaysia would host the regional biennial event in 2017, should there be no other country willing to bid. Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary general Sieh Kok Chi, who attended the meeting, said that Myanmar would host the Games in 2013, followed by Singapore in 2015 and Brunei in 2017. However, the sultanate gave up hosting the Games in 2017, in exchange for having more time to organize the 2019 edition. Brunei hosted the Games only once in 1999 and planned to upgrade its sports facilities and build a new national stadium in Salambigar. However, on June 4, 2015, Brunei withdrew its hosting rights at the meeting in Singapore after the said country's Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports had failed to give support for the Games due to the lack of sporting facilities, accommodation, and preparation of their athletes. Philippines With Brunei's withdrawal, the Philippines had expressed its interest to host the Games Vietnam, the 2021 Southeast Asian Games host, was also offered to host this edition, but declined. On July 10, 2015, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) announced that the Philippines will be hosting the Games. Davao City and Manila were touted as the top candidates for the main host city of the Games. Cebu City and Albay also expressed interest in hosting some events. On July 21, 2017, The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) addressed the POC that it is withdrawing its support for the Philippine hosting of the 2019 Games, saying that government decided to reallocate funds meant for hosting to the rehabilitation efforts of Marawi, which was left devastated following the Battle of Marawi and it was later reported that the POC's insistence on handling all matters of the hosting; finance, security and the conduct of the Games as it did for the 2005 SEA Games led to the PSC's withdrawal of support. However, in August 2017, the Philippines, through the then-POC president Peping Cojuangco, confirmed that the country would pursue hosting the 2019 SEA Games, after Cojuangco wrote to then-President Rodrigo Duterte and appealed for reconsideration. Cojuangco has stated that the Games would be mainly held in the Central Luzon area, particularly in the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, and Zambales. He added that the Philippine Arena in the municipality of Bocaue in Bulacan province would "most likely" be used in the Games. In January 2018, during the groundbreaking of the New Clark City Sports Hub (then known as the Philippine Sports City), it was announced that the organizers will attempt to hold all events of the games outside of Manila with New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, Subic, and Bulacan as main host localities. Handover ceremony During the closing ceremony of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, the symbolic SEA Games Federation council flag was handed over by outgoing Malaysian Olympic Committee president HRH Tunku Tan Sri Imran to then-Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, who in turn passed the flag to then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who will be the Chairman of organizing committee for 2019 games. In contrast of other closing ceremonies held throughout the SEA Games, only a discrete video promoting tourism in the Philippines was presented instead of a grand presentation for the next host country. One of the reasons given by the Philippine Olympic Committee is the cost of holding a handover ceremony, at . Another reason is to give focus on the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Malaysian federation. ==Development and preparations==

served as chairman of the organizing committee of the Games. Unlike the 2005 Games, the 2019 SEA Games adopted a different organizing structure for the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC). According to Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez, Foreign Affairs Secretary (later House Speaker) Alan Peter Cayetano would be appointed as the organizing committee chairman, instead of the Philippine Olympic Committee president who presumed the role in 2005. Senator Migz Zubiri was initially the head of the organizing committee before being replaced by Cayetano. At least three meetings were held for the preparation of the Games. The first meeting was held in Shangri-la Hotel at the Fort on May 16 and 17, 2018. Another meeting was held on November 23 and 24, 2018. Officials of National Sports Associations of the Philippines were designated as competition managers and were tasked to deal with local arrangements concerning their sport including logistics, venues and equipment. Costs The budget for the games is at least (US$147 million as of July 31, 2019). (US$118 million) were provided by the government, while the rest were secured by PHISGOC from sponsorships. The government funds were allocated to the Philippine Sports Commission with (US$98 million) from the funds approved by the Philippine Congress and the remainder derived from augmentation fund approved by then-President Rodrigo Duterte. Duterte approved the additional funds by May 2019. Ticketing The organizers entered negotiations with SM Tickets for ticketing systems. All tickets for all events were originally planned to cost a fee, with sports determined to be less popular by the organizers, to have a minimal fee. On October 3, 2019, tickets for the opening ceremony and select events were made on available on all SM Tickets branches and online. However, in a few days leading to the opening ceremony, there were clamors to make the tickets free to the general public. Public figures and groups, such as the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella and the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines appealed to then-President Rodrigo Duterte to make the tickets free. Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo suggested the organizers to give the tickets free or charge tickets at a discounted price for students. On November 29, 2019, upon instructions of then-President Duterte, tickets were made available for free for all sporting events, except basketball, football and volleyball, which were sold out. Tickets were also made available for free for the closing ceremony, with organizers giving 10,000 tickets to SM Tickets for distribution and thousands of other tickets to local government units. Transportation Organizers coordinated with the Department of Transportation regarding logistics for the Games including the possible closure of the North Luzon Expressway to the public for 12 hours before the opening ceremony. Volunteers The organizers of the Games launched a volunteer program in April 2019 in Taguig to aid the organization of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games with the target of volunteers initially set to 12,000. Around 9,000 individuals were recruited among those 20,686 people who expressed interest to join the volunteering program, 14,683 of which applied through official online portals. 2,960 applicants were foreigners while 6,003 were elected by educational institutions. There were approximately 2,250 volunteers in the Clark cluster, 1,980 in the Subic cluster, 3,150 in Metro Manila, and 1,620 in other venues not part of the first three clusters. Medals The official medals for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games were designed by Filipino metal sculptor Daniel dela Cruz, who also designed the SEA Games torch, incorporating elements inspired by the Philippines. On the medal's front, above the SEA Games logo is a sail or "layag" typically used by Filipino boats. Encircling the logo are sea waves signifying the Philippine archipelago. At the back is a rendering of the sports facilities at the New Clark City, site of the SEA Games, which was incorporated using high density etching. Symbols of the various sports are embedded using laser etching. The gold medal is made of 24-karat gold plated material and its wave design in front is made of rhodium via bi-plating. The bronze medal was made "rose gold" in color instead of the traditional brown hue. The ribbon used to hold the medal features a double-sided design; one side features the colors associated with the Southeast Asian Games and the other is decorated with traditional Filipino weave patterns. The torch was inspired from the sampaguita (Jasminum sambac) the Philippines' national flower and the hammered portions of the object represents the rays of the Philippine flag's sun. The torch was officially unveiled on August 23, 2019, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay during the 100-day countdown to the games. During the ceremony, the flame was placed on a special lantern and was brought to Davao City to start the domestic part of the relay across the nation. The Philippine part of the relay, started in front of SM Lanang in Davao City on October 30, 2019. The second leg of the run, participated by 6,500 runners was held at Cebu South Coastal Road in Cebu City on November 16, 2019. The final leg was held on November 23, 2019, at the Bayanihan Park in Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Cauldron The cauldron is a metal structure that stands at , built outside the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac and it was lit on November 30 by the boxers Manny Pacquiao and Nesthy Petecio during the opening ceremony. The inside is a hollow space filled with gravel, Inside the cauldron, there is an open space, which is filled with gravel, being supported by several metal structures on each side of the structure. According to the PHISGOC, estimated costs for the construction and maintenance of the cauldron are estimated in . The cauldron was designed by National Artist for Architecture, Francisco Mañosa, which was his last project prior to his death. ==Venues==

There were four designated clusters or hubs for the sporting events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games namely Clark, Subic, Metro Manila, and "Other Areas". Previously the fourth cluster was reportedly known as the BLT (Batangas, La Union, and Tagaytay) Cluster The main hub is Clark in the sports complex at the National Government Administrative Center, New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac. The secondary venue will be Subic while the tertiary venue will be Metro Manila and the other nearby areas. The Philippine Sports Commission confirmed that Manila would host boxing, basketball, and volleyball events while Subic would host water sport events. The NOC (National Olympic Committee) mansions and villas for accommodating of the delegates from the competing countries were built in New Clark City. Each mansion would have 15 to 17 rooms each. The opening ceremony was held at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan while the closing ceremony was held at the New Clark City Athletics Stadium. Competition venues Clark cluster of the New Clark City Sports Hub hosted athletics and the closing ceremony. Metro Manila cluster hosted the 5x5 basketball events hosted the indoor volleyball events. Subic cluster event. Other areas hosted women's football and selected men's football matches Non-competition venues ==Marketing==

Official launch and branding held on November 30, 2018 The official launch and countdown ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games was made at the Bayanihan Park at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga on November 30, 2018 which was attended by representatives of the 11 participating countries of the Games. At the ceremony the logo and theme of the Games were officially unveiled. A structure consisting of 11 rings representing the 11 nations was also lit up as part of the countdown ceremony. Motto The official motto of 2019 Southeast Asian Games as well as its theme is "We Win as One." It was made official during the launching ceremony in Bayanihan Park on November 30, 2018. Public reception of the logo in the host country was mixed, with critics stating that the logo lacked creativity and design interest. Mascot Pami, with their name derived from the "pamilya", the Filipino word for "family", is the official mascot of the Games. According to 2019 SEA Games executive director Ramon Suzara, the mascot represents every nation, every athlete, every person coming together that support each other at the games. The mascot with a joyful character has been described to have been made from squishy spherical balls. Just like the logo and theme, it was also previewed during the meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was made official during the countdown ceremony in Bayanihan Park. Theme songs Ryan Cayabyab composed the official theme song of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, Lea Salonga performed for the official release of theme song. The theme song and music video for "We Win as One" was formally released on September 3, 2019, at the Resorts World Manila (now Newport World Resorts). The music video which was shot at the New Clark City Sports Hub was directed by Shem Hampac and was produced by Equinox Manila. Cayabyab originally made the composition of the song, with the expectation that 11 singers would do the official performance. The song was revised, in order to be more suitable for a solo performance, after Lea Salonga was tapped to do the performance. Cayabyab and Jimmy Antiporda were the ones responsible for the arrangement of the song. Sarah Geronimo released "Who We Are", a legacy song for the workforce and volunteers of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. The song was eventually played in several victory ceremonies with Filipino medalists. The music video was shot on several venues of the games. Arnel Pineda and Filipino band KO Jones also released "Rock the SEA Games", which was also played during several SEA Games competitions, and was performed during the closing ceremonies on December 11, 2019. In March 2020, "We Win as One" was remixed as "We Heal As One" in response to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the Philippines. Ryan Cayabyab also composed the song with new lyrics in English and Tagalog by Floy Quintos; it was performed by various Filipino singers. Official attire Clothing for official use were designed for the games various use. The presenters of the games' victory ceremonies would be wearing attire inspired from Filipino traditional clothing namely the Balintawak dress, barong tagalog, and Baro't Saya. Color coded polo shirt and jacket were devised: For Southeast Asian Games Federation officials it was blue, for technical officials, green, for volunteers, red, and Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) officials, navy blue. Business uniforms made by fashion designer Rajo Laurel will also be used. Laurel made two sets of uniform for women (black and white sets) and three sets for men (one black set and two white sets). Sponsors There were three tiers of sponsorship for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, depending on the amount of funds a company contributes to the games; Preferred sponsors contributed , Gold sponsors contributed and Platinum sponsors contributed . Singapore-based Razer Inc. will be involved in the organization of the Esports events. Six companies signed their partnership agreements with PHISGOC on February 13, 2019. France-based GL events provided the overlays and temporary structures of the 39 sporting venues to be used for the 2019 SEA Games. Autonomous vehicle (AV) services from United States-based COAST Autonomous was used to serve athletes and officials between the Athletes' Village, aquatic center and athletics stadium in New Clark City. This will be the first ever implementation of an AV service in a major sporting event. Pennsylvania-based NEP Group was the official host broadcaster of the games which sold full and partial broadcasting rights to other broadcasters. Skyworth was named as the official television partner of the Games. They covered events prior to the competition proper including the torch relays in the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as the Game Hub and Fan Zones. The platinum-tier sponsorship was helped secured by Singapore firm Mediapro Asia. Mastercard was the main sponsor of the Games' official mobile app which would allow users to view the schedule and results as well purchase tickets and food in the venue. The organizers secured insurance for the Games' athletes and officials from Standard Insurance which covered a period of October 15 – December 15, 2019, with each beneficiary having a coverage of . The insurance plan covered deaths or any accident-related injuries incurred both during the Games and in training, as well as losses due to sabotage and terrorist acts. Standard Insurance has EMA-Global as its medical service provider partner. ==The Games==

Opening ceremony The Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan, the world's largest indoor arena, hosted the opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. In the opening ceremony, Manny Pacquiao and Nesthy Petecio lit the cauldron in New Clark City. The lighting of the cauldron was not live and pre-recorded. It was initially planned to have conducted live but in anticipation of Typhoon Kammuri (Tisoy), a contingency had to be made. A separate cauldron was not built near the arena. Carlos Yulo was designated as the torch bearer and light the cauldron. The opening ceremony was inspired from the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Originally, the organizers announced plans to conduct a digital lighting of the flame during the event, but later added a backup plan for a "normal, traditional opening ceremony". Filipino-American artist apl.de.ap, a member of The Black Eyed Peas, performed at the opening ceremony. Collaborating with Ryan Cayabyab, he performed a remix of his troupe's song rendered in Filipino traditional instruments and orchestral accompaniment. Previously the organizers negotiated with another Filipino-American artist, Bruno Mars, to do the same, but the negotiations did not advance. There were also expectations for performances by Filipino singer Lea Salonga and Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda, but they did not advance either, with Salonga declining due to an agenda conflict with the local production of the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Closing ceremony The closing ceremony was held in the athletics stadium in New Clark City. An initial list of 32 sports to be contested at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games was agreed upon following the two-day SEA Games Federation Council Meeting from May 16 to 17, 2018 at the Shangri-La at the Fort in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Metro Manila. Badminton was initially excluded by the hosts from the initial list, but was reinstated following the objections of the National Olympic Committees of Malaysia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. Vovinam was later dropped from the finalized list of sports released by the organizers in mid-December 2018 and polo was included in January 2019. • The proposal to include additional sports was allowed through suggestions of the different NOCs until June 13, 2018. Among the sports proposed to be included in the final list are esports, netball, obstacle course, sambo, skateboarding, shuttlecock, surfing, water-skiing, sport climbing, and air sports. The Philippines will introduce 3x3 basketball for the first time in the history of the games. Upon the approval of the 56 proposed sports, it was reported that no additional sports were to be added. Following a meeting of the Southeast Asian Games Federation Council from November 23 to 24, 2018, the approval of the 56 proposed sports were finalized with 530 events planned to be contested. The number of events was finalized by mid-December 2018. Calendar Several events were rescheduled due to inclement weather (without surfing). ==Medal table==

The 2019 Southeast Asian Games had 530 events in 56 sports, resulting in 530 medal sets to be distributed. Other additional number of medal sets that were distributed, were announced before the awarding of different sports in the Games respectively. The Philippines won 149 gold medals, 117 silver medals, and 121 bronze medals, finishing with their best finish yet on the games up to date. ==Broadcasting==

;Key Host nation (Philippines) == Concerns and controversies ==

The 2019 Southeast Asian Games was marred by a series of controversies, including corruption allegations, marketing and logistics problems, and poor treatment of delegates. ==See also==