2025 SEA Games

Host selection Hosting duties are rotated among the member countries of the SEA Games Federation. Each member country is assigned a specific year to host the event, but they have the option to withdraw or opt out of hosting for that particular edition. 2019 disruption On the 21st of July in 2017, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced its decision to withdraw support for the country's hosting of the 2019 SEA Games. The government chose to reallocate funds originally intended for the event to support the rehabilitation of Marawi, which had been devastated by the Marawi crisis. Additionally, it was later reported that the Philippine Olympic Committee's insistence on handling all aspects of the hosting—including finances, security, and the organization of the Games, similar to how it managed the 2005 SEA Games—contributed to the PSC's decision to withdraw its support. On the 10th of August in 2017, Charouck Arirachakaran, the Vice President and Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, stated that Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had agreed to a replacement plan for the 2019 SEA Games following the Philippines' withdrawal. The potential host provinces for the event were Chiang Mai, Chonburi, and Songkhla. However, six days later, Philippine Olympic Committee President Peping Cojuangco confirmed that it would still host the 2019 SEA Games. This decision came after Cojuangco wrote to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, appealing for reconsideration of the country's earlier withdrawal. 2025 confirmation In December 2021, Thailand was nominated as the host country for the 2025 SEA Games during the SEAGF Council and Executive Board Meetings held in Hanoi, Vietnam. Five months later, the SEAGF Council and executive board officially confirmed Thailand as the host for the 2025 SEA Games, with Bangkok initially nominated as the host city. Additionally, Malaysia and Singapore were confirmed as the host countries for the 2027 and 2029 editions of the SEA Games, respectively. After the confirmation, this marked the seventh time that Thailand had hosted the SEA Games. The capital city, Bangkok, hosted the inaugural SEAP Games—the original term for the SEA Games—in 1959, and subsequently in 1967 and 1975, as well as in 1985 after the event had become known as the SEA Games. The 1995 and 2007 editions were held in the Thai provinces of Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima, respectively. Bidding and election On the 11th of October in 2022, Chaipak Siriwat, the Vice President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, revealed the framework for the bidding process for the 2025 SEA Games. He emphasized that the host cities or provinces should aim to organize the Games at a budget-friendly cost and that there would be no requirement to build new venues. Unlike the 2019 and 2021 editions where competition venues were spread across 23 and 12 cities respectively, the number of host cities for the 2025 Games would be limited to 3 or 4. In October 2022 Vice Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand Prachum Boontiem nominated eight bidding parties from twelve cities or provinces interested in hosting the 2025 SEA Games. The city of Bangkok as well as the provinces of Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Songkhla submitted sole bids, while the Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Chonburi, Songkhla, Krabi, Phuket, Trat, Amnat Charoen, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani, and Yasothon were proposed as potential bidding provinces. Although the official bidding process began in October 2022, some regions had already revealed their bidding campaigns earlier: Ubon Ratchathani in April 2016; Chonburi in January 2019; and Krabi, Phuket, and Trang in February 2021. On the 13th of January in 2023, the Sports Authority of Thailand selected three provinces—Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Chonburi province, and Songkhla province—to host the 33rd SEA Games, while the Nakhon Ratchasima province was chosen to host the 13th ASEAN Para Games. This decision was approved by the Cabinet of Thailand in February 2023. These four cities were the first in SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games history to be chosen through a bidding process. Host city contract During the first SEAGF council meeting for the 2025 SEA Games in June 2024, the host city contract was signed by Chadchart Sittipunt, the Governor of Bangkok, Thawatchai Srithong, the Governor of Chonburi province, and Somnuek Promkhieo, the Governor of Songkhla province. The ceremony followed the model of the Olympic and Asian Games host city agreements, marking the first time a SEA Games host city contract had been signed. Handover ceremony The handover ceremony of the SEAGF flag and the artistic performance for the 2025 SEA Games took place during the closing ceremony of the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, on the 17th of May in 2023 at the Morodok Techo National Stadium. The artistic performance for this segment, titled Sawasdee SEA Games, meaning Hello SEA Games in Thai, was performed by Kid Buaksib, a contemporary Thai dancer and artist. They were a finalist in seasons 1 and 2 of Thailand's Got Talent. Kick-off ceremony The kick-off ceremony for the 2025 SEA Games and the 2025 ASEAN Para Games was held at the Hua Mak Sports Complex in Bangkok on the 7th of December in 2024. Sorawong Thienthong, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Minister of Tourism and Sports, announced that the 2025 SEA Games and the 2025 ASEAN Para Games would be held under the themes of Green SEA Games and Sustainable Paralympics. The games aimed to achieve net-zero emissions by promoting eco-friendly transportation, utilizing sustainable products, and selecting venues that prioritized environmental protection. This environmentally friendly vision would also be implemented in the 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship held in August 2025. Venues The 2025 SEA Games utilized existing venues across Bangkok Metropolitan Region and Chonburi province, including those used by the 1985 SEA Games, the 1998 Asian Games, and the 2007 Summer Universiade previously held in Bangkok Metropolitan Region. The Bangkok Metropolitan Region, which includes the city Bangkok and the neighboring provinces of Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, and Samut Sakhon, hosted the majority of the 42 sports. Meanwhile, Chonburi hosted 15 sports on its own. Only three events took place in outlying venues: men's football preliminaries held in Chiang Mai, skeet shooting in Ratchaburi, and road bicycle racing in Nakhon Nayok and Prachinburi. Originally, Songkhla province was intended to host 10 events; The original intended venues for the events intended for Songkhla (and other moved events) are denoted in the footnotes for this section. ;Bangkok cluster ;Chonburi cluster ;Outlying venues Budget The initial estimated budget for the 2025 SEA Games and the 2025 ASEAN Para Games was ฿2.055 billion, with ฿1.683 billion requested from the government budget.'''''' The budget for these events was lower than the cost of the 1998 Asian Games, which was ฿2.372 billion, but higher than the 2007 Summer Universiade which amounted to ฿1.843 billion. Meanwhile, the costs for the 2007 SEA Games and the 2008 ASEAN Para Games were ฿1.463 billion. Torch relay The torch relay of the games began on the 16th of November in Bangkok. ==The Games==

Opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2025 SEA Games was held on the 9th of December in 2025 at Rajamangala Stadium and was opened by King Vajiralongkorn. Although the Charter and Rules have been amended multiple times since then, host countries were still allowed to allocate their optional sports programs without oversight from the SEAGF. However, following the controversy surrounding the sports program in recent editions, the host countries for the three editions between 2025 and 2029—Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore—agreed to propose further amendments to the Charter and Rules. The new amendments were unanimously approved by SEAGF members at the SEAGF Council meeting during the 2023 SEA Games. The 2025 edition was the first to implement the new rules. Section 34 of the amended SEAGF Charter and Rules stipulates that starting with the 2025 edition, the SEA Games program will include a minimum of 36 to 41 sports. This will consist of 12 compulsory sports under Category I, which are included in both the Olympic and Asian Games, a minimum of 25 Olympic and Asian Games sports under Category II, and a maximum of 4 additional sports under Category III. The medal events in Categories I and II must align with the Olympic and Asian Games programs, while the number of events in Category III sports cannot exceed eight and must be selected from a pre-established list determined a few years in advance. Sports selection Following the selection of the host cities, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) initially announced that the 2025 SEA Games would feature forty-three sports, in accordance with the Games' charter. All of these sports are included in the Thailand National Games, and the host cities and provinces are equipped to provide the necessary venues and facilities to accommodate these events. During the first SEAGF council meeting for the 2025 SEA Games in June 2024, the organizing committee proposed hosting forty sports, and the member countries agreed to finalize a second shortlist for the sports programme. After the 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi were cancelled on 20 August 2024 due to the organizers' failure to meet obligations, local athletes affected by the cancellation were given the chance to compete in other international tournaments, including the 2025 SEA Games. In September 2024, the sports programme was confirmed to include nine additional sports: ju-jitsu, karate, weightlifting, and wushu, all of which were reinstated. Other sports added included bowling, chess (including makruk), cricket, extreme sports, and squash. During the second SEAGF council meeting for the 2025 SEA Games in October 2024, the organizing committee finalized a sports programme featuring 569 medal events in fifty sports. Many traditional disciplines within these sports were included, such as the compound bow and recurve bow in archery; canoe sprint in canoeing; dressage, eventing, and show jumping in equestrian; épée, foil, and sabre in fencing; field hockey and indoor hockey in hockey; combat and kata in judo; ne-waza, fighting, and duo in ju-jitsu; kumite and kata in karate; ring and tatami in kickboxing; triathle and biathle in modern pentathlon; combat and waikru in muaythai; regu, quadrants, and hoop in sepak takraw; pistol, rifle, and shotgun in shooting; kyorugi and poomsae in taekwondo; duathlon and aquathlon in triathlon; freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling in wrestling; and sanda as well as taolu in wushu. Additionally, some disciplines were introduced for the first time, such as baseball5 in baseball, canoe slalom in canoeing, coastal rowing in rowing, hockey5s in hockey, and obstacle laser-run in modern pentathlon. Meanwhile, practical shooting made its return, having last been included in 2005. Furthermore, air sports (including paragliding and paramotor), flying disc (including disc golf and ultimate frisbee) and tug of war were featured as demonstration sports. During the third SEAGF council meeting for the 2025 SEA Games in December 2024, the organizing committee replaced ten medal events from the finalist list announced in October 2024 with new events across various sports, including dragon boat, rhythmic gymnastics, judo, esports, pencak silat, and woodball. Additionally, one medal event was removed from mountain biking, while six new medal events were introduced in athletics, road cycling, and sailing. As a result, the total number of events increased to 574, still falling short of the previous record of 580 set at the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. One medal event in sailing was later cancelled, thus setting the final events number to 573. During the first SEAGF coordination committee meeting for the 2025 SEA Games in February 2025, the organising committee approved the inclusion of mixed martial arts (MMA) in the Games, following a request from the SEA Games Federation. It was added under a new category called "value creation sports'". This decision arose from an agreement among Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore—the hosts of upcoming SEA Games—which mandates that only sports featured in the current edition can be included in future events. Therefore, MMA was introduced to secure its eligibility for future competitions. However, it will not contribute to the official medal tally, as it is designated as a demonstration sport. Sports programme The fifty-sport programme of the 2025 SEA Games surprised the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) by including the most internationally recognised sports, with 49 out of the 50 sports also contested in the Olympic Games, Asian Games, and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games. This marked a historic first for the SEA Games. Surfing was the only core Summer Olympic sport to not be included in these games. Canoeing and rowing, as well as skateboarding and sport climbing, were combined into single categories, reducing the total count to twenty-eight sports. Additionally, two Winter Olympic sports were featured: ice hockey and ice skating, with figure skating and short-track speed skating categorized together. Furthermore, three optional sports for the 2028 Summer Olympics—baseball/softball, cricket, and squash—were also included, bringing the total number of Olympic sports in these games to thirty-three. Moreover, six sports included in the programme of the 2026 Asian Games—esports, jujitsu, kabaddi, karate, sepak takraw, and wushu—were added. In addition, twelve sports that were originally planned for the canceled 2021 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games were also incorporated, including billiards/snooker, bowling, chess, floorball, futsal, indoor hockey, kickboxing, muaythai, netball, pencak silat, pétanque, and teqball. However, futsal and indoor hockey were categorized under their respective parent sports of football and hockey, reducing the count of these additional sports to ten. Ten sports—aquathlon, baseball5, chinlone, dragon boat, duathlon, hockey5s, jet skiing, practical shooting, water skiing/wakeboarding, and woodball—were not included in the upcoming Olympic and Asian Games, nor the canceled Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, but were featured in the upcoming World Games and Youth Olympic Games, as well as in past Asian Games and SEA Games. Baseball5, along with hockey5s, and aquathlon combined with duathlon, are categorised under their parent sports, such as baseball, hockey, and triathlon. Dragon boat, along with jet skiing combined with water skiing/wakeboarding, chinlone, and practical shooting, fall under related sports such as canoeing and rowing, extreme sports, sepak takraw, and shooting, with woodball being the only independent sport included. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each discipline. ;Notes Closing ceremony The closing ceremony of the 2025 SEA Games was held on 20 December 2025 at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok. ==Participating National Olympic Committees==

All eleven National Olympic Committee (NOC) members of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) took part in the games. Since its debut in 2003, Timor-Leste participated for the first time as a full ASEAN member state, with its official access to the association since 26 October 2025. Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of delegations representing in each NOC. Athlete eligibility rules During the Chef de Mission meeting in August 2025, the Organizing Committee confirmed that gender verification tests would be conducted for athletes. The procedures and methods for testing are determined by each individual sports federation, as the SEAGF operate independently and are not governed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). All regulations regarding testing are set by the Organizing Committee. For the 2025 Games, athlete documentation was to be thoroughly checked upon entry into Thailand, during the competition, and upon departure. Any cases of document falsification or attempts to field athletes representing countries other than their own would result in immediate action, preventing such violations from occurring during this edition of the Games. ==Calendar==

In the following calendar for the 2025 SEA Games, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which medal-awarding finals for a sport were held. On the left, the calendar lists each sport with events held during the Games, and at the right how many gold medals were won in that sport. :All times and dates use Thailand Standard Time (UTC+7) == Medal table ==

Design competition The Sport Authority of Thailand (SAT) originally organised a design competition for the emblem, motto, and mascot for the 2025 SEA Games and the 2025 ASEAN Para Games. The submitted designs were required to be visually appealing, modern, unique, and reflect Thai identity. The submission period was from 20 September to 25 October 2023. The official awarding ceremony took place at the Chaloem Phrakiat Building at the Hua Mak Sports Complex in Bangkok on 23 November 2023. Emblem The official emblem for the 2025 SEA Games, designed by Teeranop Wangsillapakun, the creative director and founder of TNOP Design, was commissioned by the Design Subcommittee of the Thailand Creative Culture Agency under the National Soft Power Strategy Committee. This emblem replaced an earlier design selected through a competition. The initial emblem, created by Ruengwit Phutharaporn, was inspired by the pla kat, or Siamese fighting fish, Thailand's national aquatic animal. Motto The official motto for the 2025 SEA Games, Ever Forward (, , ), replaced the previous winning slogan from a design competition, Amity of ASEAN, designed by Phonchit Sachaiyan. Notably, it bears a resemblance to the motto of the Asian Games, Ever Onward, which was established by Guru Dutt Sondhi, the founder of the games. Mascots The official mascots for the 2025 SEA Games, designed by Teeranop Wangsillapakun, the creative director and founder of TNOP Design, were commissioned by the Design Subcommittee of the Thailand Creative Culture Agency (THACCA) under the National Soft Power Strategy Committee. On 7 October 2025, a new version of The San was revealed; the number of mascots was reduced to one, with Chan being retained. It was also recolored to the Thai flag to represent national pride. The original five San designs were retained for merchandise. These mascots replaced an earlier design selected through a competition. The initial mascot, named Mawin, was designed by Tawich Jitthiang and depicted a Waree Kunchorn, a mythical creature from the Himavanta. This creature has the body of an elephant, along with fish-like features, including fins along its backbone, leg fins attached to each of its four legs, and a fishtail. Sponsors Theme song The official theme song of the Games was "1%", performed by Violette Wautier alongside F.Hero in the Thai version and TWOPEE in the English version. == Concerns and controversies ==

Officiating Numerous allegations of biased officiating and missed calls were reported in multiple sports. In pencak silat, one of Malaysia's coaches assaulted a judge after Nor Farah binti Mazlan lost to Thailand's Chongthima Rueanthong in the quarterfinals of the women's Class B tanding event due to a tiebreaker rule, as both competitors ended with a 60–60 tie. However, the winner was decided due to the former's number of fouls. According to the Philippine Olympic Committee, the Filipino judge was safe after the assault and had filed a formal protest to the organizing committee. The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) noted multiple "hometown decisions" in favor of Thai boxers and disputed losses of Filipino and Filipina athletes. One notable example was the bout between Indonesia's Hasanah Huswatan and the Philippines' Nesthy Petecio in the semifinals of the women's 63 kg category, where Hasanah won in a 3–2 split decision that surprised both Thai and Filipino officials. ABAP also flagged Thailand's representation in the finals of 16 out of the 17 categories, which they described as "disproportionate." Thailand went on to win 14 gold medals in the sport. After the boxing event, ABAP revealed that they plan to have an inquiry with World Boxing, the sport's international federation on the irregularities during the tournament, which also affected other countries such as Singapore and Vietnam. In the women's football final between Vietnam and the Philippines, the referee ruled out a goal by Nguyễn Thị Bích Thùy in the 29th minute for offside, despite claims of the attempt being clearly onside based on multiple replays, with some even showing up to three players not counting the goalkeeper standing below Bích Thùy. Similarly, the men's football bronze medal match saw Faris Danish of Malaysia commit a handball inside the penalty area that was not called by the referee, denying the Philippines a potential penalty. Due to both men's and women's tournaments not having a video assistant referee (VAR) system, both calls were upheld. The Filipinas would go on to defeat Vietnam on penalties and break their streak of four consecutive women's football gold medals, while Malaysia won bronze in the men's tournament. Ban and reinstatement of pétanque The Thailand Pétanque Association (PAT) was initially sanctioned by the World Pétanque and Bowls Federation (WPBF) and the Fédération Internationale de Pétanque et Jeu Provençal (FIPJP) due to issues regarding the association president's qualifications, which prevented Thai athletes from participating in international competitions. In response, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) established a central committee to oversee athlete selection and organize pétanque for the 2025 SEA Games. Conflicts arose over athlete selection, as the SAT continued to support athletes from the original association, delaying any resolution. In September 2025, WPBF and FIPJP formally banned the organization of pétanque events at the Games and announced that any nation sending athletes to compete would face a two-year suspension from all international competitions. Then, Pimol Srivikorn, President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT), and Chaiyapak Siriwat, Vice President of the NOCT, traveled to WPBF and FIPJP headquarters in Paris, France, to negotiate with WPBF and FIPJP to resolve the issue. Concurrently, Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow sent a letter affirming the Thai government's commitment to follow FIPJP guidelines and support the inclusion of pétanque in the 2025 SEA Games. The SAT also issued clarifications addressing prior communication errors that had caused misunderstandings. Following these actions, WPBF and FIPJP President Claude Azéma approved the inclusion of pétanque at the 2025 SEA Games, allowing the sport to proceed as planned. Naming of muaythai competition A debate arose regarding the naming of the combat sport, concerning the use of the term "muay" versus "muaythai". However, in early October 2025, following reports that the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) was preparing to propose the name change, Chaiyapak Siriwat, CEO of the SEAGF, clarified on October 5, 2025, that the sport would retain the name "muay". He stated this name is stipulated in the SEA Games charter and cannot be altered, although he affirmed that the competition's operations and judging would be managed by IFMA and Thai officials. Basketball player eligibility Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino was frustrated on the organizers' inability to finalize the eligibility rules on the basketball tournament as of 28 November 2025, derailing the preparations of the Philippine national teams. In August 2025, it was reported that players only needed to have the appropriate passport; however, this was only clarified in November. On 24 November 2025, it was confirmed that naturalized players, alongside any other player who obtained the relevant passport after age 16, were not eligible to play in the standard 5x5 tournaments. This is stricter than the FIBA eligibility rules, which allow at least one player satisfying either criterion to be on a roster. National anthem errors During the first match of the men's football game between Vietnam and Laos, a technical error prevented the national anthems of both teams from being played as scheduled at Rajamangala Stadium. The governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, Dr. Kongsak Yodmanee, acknowledged full responsibility for the mistake and expressed a “deepest apology” for the incident. The committee also ensured such issues would never happen again throughout the tournament. Flag display errors In the Games' official website, the organizing committee displayed the wrong flags for the futsal competition, where they used the Vietnamese flag to represent Thailand, while the Indonesian flag was replaced by Laos. During the opening ceremony, a video clip with giant Singaporean flag card stunt was used when introducing the 1997 SEA Games held in Indonesia as part of the opening segment about the history of the SEA Games. While the video in question was taken from the actual footage of the opening ceremony, it was criticized by Indonesian viewers for misrepresenting the country as the host of the 1997 edition. Political and diplomatic issues Participation of Cambodian athletes The potential participation of Cambodian athletes in the 2025 SEA Games became a subject of controversy amid the 2025 Cambodian–Thai border crisis. In July 2025, Sorawong Thienthong, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Minister of Tourism and Sports at the time, suggested the possibility of banning Cambodia following a cross-border attack that resulted in Thai casualties. However, Chaiyapak Siriwat, President of the Southeast Asian Games Federation, emphasized that Thailand, as host of the SEA Games, had no authority to bar Cambodia nor any member nation from participating, as decisions must comply with the Olympic Charter, which upholds political neutrality, non-discrimination, and the right of all nations to compete. Cambodia initially submitted an entry of 1,515 athletes and officials before the clashes, though reports later claimed the number had been reduced to 57. Vath Chamroeun, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia, denied the reports, stating that Cambodia would send a larger contingent. At the Chef de Mission meeting in August 2025, Chaiyapak confirmed that Cambodia had registered around 600 athletes and more than 100 officials. Due to security concerns, however, the Organizing Committee requested that Cambodia reduce its delegation to no more than 200 athletes to ensure adequate safety arrangements. Following a second round of clashes on 8 December and their participation in the opening ceremony the next day, Cambodia withdrew all athletes from the competition on 10 December, citing political and safety concerns. ==See also==