BANGKOK – A half-empty Rajamangala National Stadium set the scene for the closing ceremony on Dec 20, when Thailand bade farewell to the SEA Games with an understated but fitting end to the biennial sporting event held in Bangkok and Chonburi.
the opening ceremony
– which was devoid of pyrotechnics – this time the night ended with colourful fireworks lighting up the sky.
With thousands of empty seats visible in the 51,000-seater venue – the 90-minute ceremony, like the opening show on Dec 9 at the same venue, kicked off with a tribute to Thailand’s late Queen Mother Sirikit.
The sombre start soon made way for the first performance of the night, a 12-minute show of music, dance and laser lights.
As the audience lapped up the performances, the hosts could finally breathe a sigh of relief after a 12-day event that saw over 12,000 athletes competing for honours across 50 medal sports.
While there were many moments of joy and inspiration, the 33rd SEA Games will also be remembered for its chaos and controversy.
Ahead of the Dec 9-20 event, the hosts were hit by a series of issues and incidents – the floods in the south, death of the Queen Mother and the ongoing border conflicts with Cambodia.
As a result of the floods, 10 sports (boxing, pencak silat, men’s football, chess, judo, kabaddi, karate, wrestling, petanque and wushu) were moved from Songkhla to Bangkok.
When the Games got under way, there was yet more upheaval as Cambodia withdrew its entire delegation, including 110 athletes, a day after the opening ceremony, citing serious safety concerns and urgent pleas from athletes’ families for their return.
The organisers were also criticised for failing to play national anthems during a football match and displaying incorrect flags during the opening ceremony. On the track, technical issues with the timing system resulted in two national records being annulled for Singaporean hurdlers Ang Chen Xiang and Kerstin Ong.
Unsavoury behaviour and poor sportsmanship also reared its head.
Thai e-sports athlete Naphat Warasin was expelled from the Games after she was found to have cheated during an Arena of Valor women’s team match against Vietnam on Dec 15. It led to her whole team pulling out. Two days later, a Malaysian silat coach was accused of assaulting a Filipino referee, following protests over a disputed loss.
Amid the controversies and off-field issues, the home favourites brought cheer to their countrymen, even if some of the venues, such as the Supachalasai National Stadium which hosted athletics, were largely empty.
Thailand marked its home Games with a new gold medal record, claiming 233 golds, 154 silver and 112 bronzes for a total of 499 medals to top the medal standings.
Team Singapore finished fifth in the standings with a record 202 medals – 52 golds, 61 silvers and 89 bronzes – for its third-best haul at an away Games.
The Republic sent its largest-ever contingent of 926 athletes, who competed across 48 sports.
About 20 athletes and officials, including squash player and flag bearer Aaron Liang, represented Singapore at the closing ceremony.
Paying tribute to the performances of Singapore’s athletes, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam posted on Facebook on Dec 20: “What stands out in Team Singapore’s showing at the SEA Games: not just the brilliant individual athletes, but our outstanding teams. That breadth of brilliance in teams matters, in sports and everything else we do…
“We can be proud of what we are achieving as a small country competing against much larger ones. And know we can do better still.”
Malaysian cultural performers take the stage at the 33rd SEA Games closing ceremony on Dec 20.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister Thamanat Prompow, who declared the 33rd SEA Games officially closed, said in his speech: “This event has further strengthened the warm relations and cooperation among countries in our region, while also contributing to the continued development of athletic excellence in every nation.”
Special mention was also given to Thai superstars Puripol Boonson (athletics) and Ratchanok Intanon (badminton) in a highlight reel at the ceremony.
Puripol, who became the fastest South-east Asian ever when he clocked 9.94sec in the 100m heats, won three gold medals (100m, 200m and 4x100m) at this meet, while former world champion Ratchanok claimed the women’s singles and team gold.
Thai singer Daou performing at the 33rd SEA Games closing ceremony.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
As the evening drew to a close, attention switched to the 2027 Games, as the SEA Games flag was handed over to Malaysia, which will host the next edition from Sept 18 to 29, 2027, in Sarawak, Penang, Johor and Kuala Lumpur.
And as the curtains came down on a colourful and chaotic SEA Games to the tune of Queen’s We Are the Champions and Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop The Feeling!, a three-minute-long fireworks display lit up the Bangkok sky.
Finally, it was time to say khop khun krap (thank you), Thailand. And sampai kita bertemu lagi (until we meet again) Malaysia!