2025 SEA Games

On 21 July 2017, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced that it was withdrawing its support for the Philippine hosting of the 2019 SEA Games saying that government decided to reallocate funds meant for hosting to the rehabilitation efforts of Marawi which was left devastated following the Marawi crisis.[3][4] and it was later reported that the POC's insistence on handling all matters of the hosting; finance, security and the conduct of the Games as it did for the 2005 SEA Games led to the PSC's withdrawal of support.[5]

On 10 August 2017, Maj. Gen. Charouck Arirachakaran, the vice president and secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT) stated that Thai prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha agreed on the 2019 Games replacement plan after the Philippine's withdrawal. The candidates were Chiang Mai, Chonburi and Songkhla.[6]

Six days later, the Philippines, through the Philippine Olympic Committee president Peping Cojuangco, confirmed that the country would host the 2019 Games, after Cojuangco wrote Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte and appealed for reconsideration.[7]

In December 2021, Thailand was nominated as the host country for the 2025 SEA Games at the SEAGF Council and Executive Board Meetings in Hanoi, Vietnam.[8][9][10] Five months later, SEAGF Council and Executive Board officially announced that Thailand will be the host country for the event in 2025, and initially nominated Bangkok as the host city. In addition, Malaysia and Singapore were confirmed as host countries for the 2027 and 2029 editions.[11][12]

After the confirmation, this marked the seventh time that Thailand had hosted the SEA Games. Its capital city, Bangkok staged the inaugural SEAP Games in 1959, and again in 1967, 1975, and 1985; when the games itself had already became known as the SEA Games. However, both the 1995 and 2007 editions were taken place in the Thai provinces of Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima respectively.

On 11 October 2022, Dato Seri Chaipak Siriwat, the vice president of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT) revealed the framework of the bidding process that the host cities/provinces should expend for the games at a budget-friendly cost, and they don't have a requirement to build venues anymore. Unlike 2019 and 2021 editions that their competition venues were spread over 23 and 12 cities respectively, the possible number of host cities for the games should be limited to 3 or 4.[13]

Eight bidding parties from twelve cities/provinces interested in hosting the games were nominated by Prachum Boontiem, the vice governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), in October 2022. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima, and Songkhla were submitted as sole bids, while Bangkok, Chonburi, Songkhla, Krabi, Phuket, Trang, Amnat Charoen, Sisaket, Ubon Ratchathani, and Yasothon were submitted as projects to bidding provinces.[14][15][16] Although the bidding process was started in October 2022, some bidding parties were revealed their bidding campaigns earlier: Ubon Ratchathani in April 2016,[17][18] Chonburi in January 2019,[19] and Krabi/Phuket/Trang in February 2021.[20]

Three provinces: Bangkok Metropolitan Region, Chonburi Province, and Songkhla Province were chosen to host the 33rd SEA Games and Nakhon Ratchasima Province were awarded the 13th ASEAN Para Games respectively by the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) on 13 January 2023 and approved by the Cabinet of Thailand in February 2023.[21][22][23] The four hosting cities were the first on to host the SEA Games history chosen through a bidding process.

As per tradition, the handover ceremony of the SEAGF flag and artistic performance of the 2025 SEA Games were held at the closing ceremony of the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. These were held on 17 May 2023 at the Morodok Techo National Stadium.

First, the SEAGF flag was passed from Vath Chamroeun, the secretary general of the Cambodia SEA Games Organizing Committee (CAMSOC), Thong Khon, the president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) and Tea Banh, the chairman of the CAMSOC to Prawit Wongsuwan, the president of the National Olympic Committee of Thailand (NOCT) and Gongsak Yodmani, the governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT). Chaiyapak Siriwat, the vice president of the NOCT, Cherdkiat Atthakor, the Thai ambassador to Cambodia, Chadchart Sittipunt, the governor of Bangkok, Niti Wiwatwanich, the deputy governor of Chonburi province, Jesada Jitrat, the governor of Songkhla province, Natt Intracharoen, the vice secretary general of the NOCT and Prachum Boonthiam, the deputy governor of the SAT were also the delegate for the handover ceremony. This will be followed by the raising of the flag of Thailand and the playing of its national anthem.[24][25][26]

The artistic performance of this segment is called "Sawasdee SEA Games", which means "Hello SEA Games" in Thai language.[27] It will be performed by the contemporary Thai dancing and art acting Kid Buaksib, who was the six finalist of the Thailand's Got Talent season 1 and season 2.[28][29]

In May 2023, Gongsak Yodmani, the governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT), revealed the proposed opening ceremony of the Games that is to be split across three venues: Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok, Eastern National Sports Stadium in Chonburi and Tinsulanon Stadium in Songkhla.[30] It is to be the first time that the opening ceremony of the SEA Games is split into more than two venues. It could be also the successor of the split opening ceremony to the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics in Gangwon, South Korea and the precursor to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States.

For the first time, kabaddi will be included in the Games although it has been included in the Asian Games since 1990.

Roller skiing (sport equivalent to cross-country skiing) will be included in the Games for the time in order to augment the popularity of winter sports in the Southeast Asia.

Emerging sport teqball will debut in the Games.

Following the host selection, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) initially announced that the Games would feature forty-three sports, according to the Games charter. All of the sports were competed in the Thailand National Games and the joint cities/provinces can provide venues and facilities to host these sports.[22][23]

The numbers in parentheses represents the number of events in each discipline.

a: sports governed by a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).
b: sports governed by a member of the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations (AIOWF).
c: sports governed by a member of the Association of IOC Recognised International Sports Federations (ARISF).
d: sports governed by a member of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sports (AIMS).
e: sports governed by a member of neither ARISF nor AIMS.

Over the years, the SEA Games have been criticized as a gold-medal mine for host countries. The host countries are free to cut Olympic and Asian Games sports disadvantageous to the host, while adding the sports favorable to them despite their obscurity. Furthermore, they are able to allocate the medal events to the list of sports, so they can cut or add the events according to their favor.[31][32][33][34][35][36][37] It was the vulnerability of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) and the SEAGF Charter and Rules that granted too much power to each host country.[38][39]

The amendment to the SEAGF Charter and Rules in section 34 was first proposed by Thailand in 2013.[40] Although the Charter and Rules had been amended for many occasions since then, host countries were still allowed to allocate their sports program without control by the SEAGF.[41] Due to the controversy surrounding the sports program of the 2023 edition, the three succeeding host countries Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore agreed to propose amendments to the Charter and Rules.[42][43] The new amendment to the Charter and Rules was unanimously approved by the SEAGF members at the SEAGF Council meeting during the 2023 SEA Games.[44][45] This edition will be the first to implement the new rules.

Section 34 of the amended SEAGF Charter and Rules states that the program of the SEA Games shall include not less than 41 sports with the compulsory 12 sports included in the Olympic and Asian Games under Category 1, a minimum of 25 Olympic and Asian Games sports under Category 2, and a maximum of 4 other sports under Category 3. The medal events of categories 1 and 2 should align with the Olympic and Asian Games, while the events of the sports category III should not exceed eight.[41][44][45][46]

All eleven National Olympic Committee (NOC) members of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) are expected to take part in the Games. It will be the first time that Timor Leste compete in the Games as a Southeast Asian Games Federation member and an ASEAN member.[47]

The numbers in parentheses represent the number of participants entered.