BANGKOK: The Fourth Coordinating Committee Meeting of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) for the Thailand SEA Games 2025 on Thursday finalised official numbers and the latest updates on the organisation of the biennial event, confirming a total participation of 22,132 individuals, comprising athletes, officials and technical personnel.

Of the overall figure, 8,270 athletes will compete across various sports, while 3,950 team officials will be on the ground to manage and coordinate their respective contingents.

The Games will also involve 9,534 technical and support personnel, including referees, venue managers, marshals and technical volunteers.

In addition, 378 VIPs and accompanying delegates have been confirmed to attend, fulfilling the official invitations of the host nation and ensuring smooth protocol operations throughout the Games.

The meeting was chaired by SEAGF Chief Executive Officer, Dato Seri Chaiyapak Siriwat, and attended by Governor of the Sports Authority of Thailand, Dr Gongsak Yodmani, Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Sports Thailand, Norapol Tantimontri, as well as members of the Thailand SEA Games 2025 organising committee.

During the briefing session, the Executive Committee confirmed that the 2025 edition will feature 50 sports covering 105 disciplines, along with three demonstration sports and one exhibition sport, bringing the total to 573 events.

The meeting also heard progress reports from several key committees, including the International Relations and Secretariat Committee, Competition Management Committee, Support and Services Committee, Broadcasting and Media Committee, and the Technical Committee.

These reports provided a comprehensive overview of Thailand’s readiness, which has previously hosted the SEA Games six times.

Following the meeting, the Malaysian delegation is scheduled to continue with a benchmark visit to several SEA Games competition venues based on sports that will be contested in their respective states.

The visit aims to obtain detailed insights into technical requirements, venue standards and competition operations as part of Malaysia’s preparation as the host of the SEA Games 2027.

Malaysia was represented by an official delegation comprising Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Operations), Datu Hii Chang Kee, Chief Executive Officer of MASOC and ASEAN Para Games 2027, Abdul Rashid Yaakub, Johor Deputy State Secretary (Youth, Sports and Volunteers), Dato On Jabbar, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, Morshidi Frederick, Director of the Penang State Sports Council, Harry Chai, and representatives from the organising committees of Sarawak, Johor and Penang. -UKASnews

Reporter: Wilma Stanley
Translator: Alezxandria Kapple