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.Games page of the website of the Olympic Council of Asia; ; retrieved 2010-07-09.
History 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.
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.
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. 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.
Symbol 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.
Participating NOCs Nation Code National Olympic Committee Created Debuted BRU Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council 1984 1977 CAM National Olympic Committee of Cambodia 1983 1961 INA Indonesian Olympic Committee 1946 1977 LAO National Olympic Committee of Laos 1975 1959 MAS Olympic Council of Malaysia 1953 1959 MYA Myanmar Olympic Committee 1947 1959 PHI Philippine Olympic Committee 1911 1977 SGP Singapore National Olympic Council 1947 1959 THA National Olympic Committee of Thailand 1948 1959 TLS National Olympic Committee of Timor Leste 2003 VIE Vietnam Olympic Committee 1952 1959
Timelines 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 BRU scope="col" rowspan="12" • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 CAM • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 22 INA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 LAO • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 MAS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 MYA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 PHI • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 26 SGP • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 THA • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 33 TLS part of Indonesia • • • • • • • • • • • • 12 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
Editions +List of SEA GamesNo.YearHostOpened byDateSportsEventsNa.Com.Top-rankedRef.SEAP Games11959 Bangkok, ThailandKing Bhumibol Adulyadej12–17 December12676518 21961 Rangoon, BurmaPresident Win Maung11–16 December1386762331965 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaYang di-Pertuan Agong Ismail Nasiruddin14–21 December141347963 41967 Bangkok, ThailandKing Bhumibol Adulyadej9–16 December161446984 51969 Rangoon, BurmaPrime Minister Ne Win6–13 December15145920 61971 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaYang di-Pertuan Agong Abdul Halim6–13 December151567957 71973 SingaporePresident Benjamin Sheares1–8 September161611,63281975 Bangkok, ThailandKing Bhumibol Adulyadej9–16 December1817241,142 SEA Games91977 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaYang di-Pertuan Agong Yahya Petra19–26 November181887N/A 101979 Jakarta, IndonesiaPresident Soeharto21–30 September18226N/A 111981 Manila, PhilippinesPresident Ferdinand Marcos6–15 December18245≈1,800 121983 SingaporePresident Devan Nair28 May – 6 June182338N/A 131985 Bangkok, ThailandKing Bhumibol Adulyadej8–17 December18251N/A 141987 Jakarta, IndonesiaPresident Soeharto9–20 September26372N/A 151989 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaYang di-Pertuan Agong Azlan Shah20–31 August243029≈2,800 161991 Manila, PhilippinesPresident Corazon Aquino24 November – 3 December28327N/A 171993 SingaporePresident Wee Kim Wee12–20 June29318≈3,000 181995 Chiang Mai, ThailandCrown Prince Vajiralongkorn9–17 December28335103,262 191997 Jakarta, IndonesiaPresident Soeharto11–19 October364905,179201999 Bandar Seri Begawan, BruneiSultan Hassanal Bolkiah7–15 August212332,365 212001 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaYang di-Pertuan Agong Salahuddin8–17 September323914,165 222003 Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, VietnamPrime Minister Phan Văn Khải5–13 December3244211≈5,000232005 Manila, PhilippinesPresident Gloria Macapagal Arroyo27 November – 5 December404435,336 242007 Nakhon Ratchasima, ThailandCrown Prince Vajiralongkorn6–15 December434755,282252009 Vientiane, LaosPresident Choummaly Sayasone9–18 December293723,100 262011 Jakarta and Palembang, IndonesiaPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono11–22 November445455,965272013 Naypyidaw, MyanmarVice President Nyan Tun11–22 December344604,730 282015 SingaporePresident Tony Tan5–16 June364024,370292017 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaYang di-Pertuan Agong Muhammad V19–30 August384044,709 302019 PhilippinesPresident Rodrigo Duterte30 November – 11 December565305,630 312021President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc12–23 May 2022405235,467 322023Prime Minister Hun Sen5–17 May375806,210 332025King Vajiralongkorn9–20 December50573109,229 342027Future event18–29 September43Future event352029 Future event362031Future event372033Future 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. In 2023, Cambodia was finally able to host the Games for the first time.
Sports
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.
This charter was modified in 2023, with the first Games with this modification in effect was the 2025 edition. 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. +List of SEA Games sportsCategory 1Category 2Category 31A1BOlympic sportsAsian Games / AIMAG / ABG sportsTraditionalOther or ABG SportsAthleticsArchery Billiards and snooker Arnis Aquathlon Diving BadmintonBowling Bokator Baseball5Artistic swimming Baseball Chess Chinlone Bodybuilding SwimmingBasketball Cricket Muay Thai Beach handball Water polo BoxingDancesportTraditional boat race Contract bridge CanoeingEsportsKenpōDuathlon CyclingFinswimmingKun KhmerFloorballEquestrianFutsalVovinamLawn bowls FencingIndoor hockeyObstacle racingField hockeyJu-jitsuParaglidingFootballKickboxingPétanqueGolfKurashPoloGymnasticsNetballShuttle cockHandballPencak silatSoft tennisJudoRoller sportsWaterskiingKarateRugby unionModern pentathlonSamboRowingSepak takrawRugby sevensSquashSailingWushuShootingXiangqiSkateboardingSoftballSport climbingSurfingTable tennisTaekwondoTennisTriathlonVolleyballWeightliftingWrestlingFigure skatingIce hockeyShort track speed skating
All-time medal table