PH to host record-breaking 56 games at 2019 SEA Games

The final list of events will be announced by the Filipino hosts on December 15, who are promoting the upcoming SEA Games theme “We Win as One.” (File Photo by PSC Media Pool)

After a meeting in Manila last Saturday, November 24, the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) has decided to include a total of 56 sports happening in the biennial tournament happening from November 30 to December 10 in the Philippines in 2019.

This is the most amount of sports to ever be included in the SEA Games, the initial list submitted to Manila only consisting of 30 activities. The biggest SEA Games so far was hosted by Indonesia in 2011 at 44 sports, followed by 2018 at 38 sports hosted by Kuala Lumpur. Philippine Olympic Committee chair Abraham Tolentino initially announced the news during the meeting at Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, concluding, “It’s final. We’re looking at the biggest hosting of the SEA Games,” adding, “Some of the council members are saying that with what they have seen, we are ready.”

Secretary-General of Singapore National Olympic Council Chris Chan is very appreciative of “the generosity of the Philippines” to be giving this amount of opportunity for varying sports, stating, “The hosts have been very magnanimous, and have included all the sports that we have appealed for to be at next year’s Games. Including some of these sports makes no sense to them because they have very little chance of winning a medal, but they have put them on the list anyway, and we are grateful.”

The final list of events will be announced by the Filipino hosts on December 15, who are promoting the upcoming SEA Games theme “We Win as One.” There will be six different venues around the country for the 56 games, namely, Clark, Subic, Metro Manila, Batangas, La Union, and Tagaytay. The last time the country hosted was in 2005, where they got the most medals at 112 golds, 85 silvers, and 93 bronzes.