By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
The Philippines is eyeing to send its biggest delegation yet to the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, scheduled for December 9 to 20 in Thailand.
According to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, more than 1,600 Filipino athletes, coaches, and officials are expected to join the biennial meet — largely due to the number of team sports the country is participating in.
“I think this is our biggest delegation because we have teams in floorball, futsal, cheerleading, basketball, volleyball, ice hockey… Even winter sports, andyan,” said Tolentino on Tuesday, July 8, after attending the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) General Assembly at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, joined by sports officials, athletes, and coaches.
This edition of the SEA Games will feature 574 events across 50 sports, to be held in three main cities: Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla.
Bangkok will serve as the main hub, with neighboring provinces Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, and Samut Sakhon co-hosting most of the 31 core sports.
Chonburi and Songkhla will stage 15 and 10 sports, respectively, while men’s football and skeet shooting will be held in outlying venues in Chiang Mai and Ratchaburi.
While this year’s Games offer fewer total events than the 580 staged in the 2023 edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, it features a broader range of sports — 50 compared to 36.
Despite the scale of the challenge, both Tolentino and newly appointed PSC Chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio remain optimistic about the Philippines’ chances.
“When it comes to the SEA Games, I’m confident,” Gregorio said.
“We just finished our PSC Board meeting, and I’ve seen a lot of requests related to SEA Games preparation. We are prioritizing those, whether it’s training or international exposure,” he added.
In the 2023 Cambodia edition, the PH team placed fifth overall, collecting 58 gold, 86 silver, and 116 bronze medals. While the country dropped one notch in the standings, it actually improved its gold medal tally from the 2021 edition in Vietnam, where the team finished with 52 gold, 70 silver, and 104 bronze medals.
