2019 SEA Games
Multi-sport event in the Philippines / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2019 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 30th Southeast Asian Games, or the 30th SEA Games, and commonly known as Philippines 2019, was the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games, a biennial regional multi-sport event which was held in the Philippines from 30 November to 11 December 2019. However, due to a narrow calendar, some sports started before the opening ceremony as early as November 24.[3]
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| Host city | Various (See below) |
|---|---|
| Motto | "We Win as One"[1] |
| Nations | 11 |
| Athletes | 5,630 |
| Events | 530 in 56 sports (63 disciplines) |
| Opening | 30 November 2019 |
| Closing | 11 December 2019 |
| Opened by | Rodrigo Duterte President of the Philippines |
| Closed by | Salvador Medialdea Executive Secretary of the Philippines[2] |
| Athlete's Oath | Francesca Altomonte |
| Judge's Oath | Daren Vitug |
| Torch lighter | Manny Pacquiao Nesthy Petecio |
| Main venue | Philippine Arena (opening ceremony) New Clark City Athletics Stadium (closing ceremony) |
| Website | SEA Games PH 2019 at the Wayback Machine (archived December 31, 2019) |
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This edition was marked by the first major decentralization in the history of the Games, with competition venues spread in 23 cities across the country and divided into four clusters; all were located on the island of Luzon (Metro Manila, Clark, Subic/Olongapo, and a fourth cluster consisting of standalone venues in Cavite, Laguna, and La Union). This was the country's fourth time to host the games, and its first since 2005. Previously, it had also hosted the 1981 and 1991 editions of the games. This edition was most notable for being the first edition to include esports, obstacle course race, kurash, sambo, underwater hockey, breaking, surfing, modern pentathlon, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, and skateboarding; as well as having the highest number of sports in the history of the games, at a total of 56.
The hosting rights were originally awarded to Brunei in 2012,[4] but the country pulled out days before the 2015 SEA Games due to "financial and logistical reasons."[5]
The Philippines was previously slated to host the 2023 SEA Games but, in July 2015, it agreed to host the Games after Brunei's withdrawal (with Cambodia taking its place for 2023). However, the Philippines' hosting was left uncertain following the withdrawal of government support two years later as it planned to use the funds intended for the games for the rehabilitation of Marawi after being occupied by ISIS supporters. Thailand and Indonesia offered to host the games with the latter planning to reuse the venues used for the 2018 Asian Games.[6] However, by August 16, 2017, the Philippine government reversed its withdrawal.[7]
The host country, Philippines, emerged in the medal tally as the overall champion for the first time in 14 years, breaking its own medal count record in 2005, followed by Vietnam and Thailand. Several games and national records were broken during the games. Amidst numerous controversies and problems, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst the Southeast Asian nations, with its hosting being lauded by the Olympic Council of Asia for its facilities and hospitality. The Philippines planned to bid for the hosting rights for the 2030 Asian Games but was unable to submit the bid by the deadline.[8][9]
Quah Zheng Wen of Singapore was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for male athletes, having won six golds and two silvers, while Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên of Vietnam, with the same medal tally, was accorded MVP honors for female athletes.[10] The fairplay award was awarded to Roger Casugay for saving a fellow competitor's life.[11]
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