The 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 games are under regulation of
the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee and the
Olympic Council of Asia.

HISTORY OF SEA GAMES

The Southeast Asian Games owes its origins to the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games or SEAP
Games. On 22 May, 1958, delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian Peninsula attending the 3rd
Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan had a meeting and agreed to establish a sport organization. The SEAP
Games was conceptualized by Laung Sukhumnaipradit, then Vice-President of the Thailand Olympic
Committee. The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote cooperation,
understanding and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian Peninsula region. Thailand, Burma
(now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam (now Vietnam) and Cambodia were the
founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biannually. The SEAP Games Federation
Committee was formed.
The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok from 12-17 December, 1959 comprising more than
527 athletes and officials from Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Cambodia, South Vietnam and Laos
participating in 12 sports. At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, the SEAP Federation considered the inclusion
of Indonesia and the Philippines. The two 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. Brunei was admitted at
the 9th SEA Games in Kualalumper, Malaysia, and East Timor at the 22nd SEA Games in Hanoi,
Vietnam.
The 23rd SEA Games held in the Philippines, which started from 27 November and ended on 5
December 2005, hosting the biennial event for the third time