SEA Games 2015

 

The Southeast Asian Games will 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 will be 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 neighbours.

The Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) believes the mid-year dates will provide ample opportunities for everyone to be part of Games, not only sports enthusiasts. The 28th SEA Games looks set to be a 12-day fiesta.

36 sports and 402 events will feature in the 28th SEA Games Singapore 2015. The sports are aquatics (swimming, synchronised 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.

History of SEA Games

Originally the brainchild of Luang Sukhum Nayapradit, then Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand, the SEA Games was conceived as a means to help forge strong regional cooperation, understanding and unity within the South East Asian community.

It was established to be a bi-annual multi-sports event to take place between the years when the Olympic Games and the Asian Games were held.

The Games were organised by the South East Asia Peninsular (“SEAP”) Games Federation, as it was known then. The first President of the Federation was General Prabhas Charusatiara of Thailand. Luang Sukhum Nayapradit was elected Vice-President.

Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam and Cambodia the Federation’s first six founding members while Singapore was subsequently listed as one.

Less than 18 months after the idea was mooted in May 1958, the inaugural SEAP Games was held in Bangkok from 12 to 17 December 1959. It comprised of the founding countries, 12 sports and 650 athletes and officials.

In 1977, the Federation agreed to include three new nations – Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Philippines. In line with the new members, the Federation changed its name to the South East Asian Games Federation and the Games were then known as the SEA Games.

In 2003, the Federation welcomed its newest and eleventh member, Timor-Leste. Currently, the Games are under regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia.