The 28th Southeast Asian Games 2015 (SEA Games) is only three months away; and this year’s theme is: “Celebrate the Extraordinary.” SEA Games’ opening ceremonies will be on 5th June 2015 and 16th June 2015 will be the closing ceremonies. The actual games will start from 29th June 2015, and medal ceremonies for some of the sports will be until 16th of June, the closing day. Refer to the complete competition schedule here.
This year is Singapore’s 50th celebration of independence from Malaysia. Dubbed as SG50, it is only appropriate that this beautiful island country hosts the SEA Games; the last time it hosted the games was twenty two years ago in 1993. It will be participated by eleven nations namely: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
What is SG50? As the committee poignantly describes, “It represents the little red dot that we’ve come to know as home. The logo celebrates the Singaporean spirit – signifying that our dreams are not limited by the physical size of our island nation.” Kudos to the one who put these words together; it’s simple yet very powerful. Visit SG50 for more exciting events and activities lined-up for the entire year.
The new generation of Singaporeans are generally sports and fitness savvy and I think it has become such an invigoratingly infectious environment that even those (at least most people I know) who are now living and working in Singapore are relatively more sporty and extra health conscious, which is a good thing. It is evident, too, in the massive participation, from both the locals and the foreign workers, in all small to big-scale marathons, dragon boat races, triathlons, and cycling events in the country, all year round.
Undeniably, I am very excited about the upcoming games and I just can’t hide it, ergo this post. What excites me more are the sports which I grew up with, either doing or those which I just simply enjoyed watching. I love all kinds of sports, so I will categorise all of the featured SEA Games sports in three ways:
Love doing.
Archery • Badminton • Basketball • Billiards and Snooker • Bowling • Boxing • Canoeing • Cycling • Football • Table Tennis • Tennis • Traditional Boat Race • Volleyball
Love watching.
Swimming • Rhythmic Gymnastics • Diving • Fencing • Golf • Sepaktakraw • Softball • Squash • Triathlon • Rowing • Synchronised Swimming
Love to try.
Water Polo • Equestrian • Floorball • Hockey • Artistic Gymnastics • Judo • Netball • Pencak Silat • Petanque • Rugby 7s • Sailing • Shooting • Taekwondo • Waterski • Wushu
On top of my list, of course, is the Traditional Boat Race or also known as Dragon Boat, as I have been paddling for almost twenty years now and the very first time I watched a Traditional Boat Race was in the SEA Games 2005 in Manila. It was held then at the La Mesa Watershed and Ecopark/La Mesa Dam in Quezon City, Philippines.
The venue for the Traditional Boat Race/Dragon Boat will be in the iconic Marina Bay. It will be a non-ticketed sport event so everyone will have a spectacular view of the races from the Waterfront Promenade, The Lawn or at The Promontory. It is happening on the 6th to 7th June 2015, Saturday to Sunday.
Yes, it’s only a couple of months before the games, and to us who will be watching, we can only imagine the hard work of all the athletes who have qualified for each of the events/sports this year. We know it takes months and months, or, even years for these athletes to train for the games—the most prestigious sports meet in the Southeast Asian region.
The Heroes
As for the athletes, this journey, perhaps especially the last 100 days before the games, must be a very tough time for them—emotionally, mentally, and most of all, physically. As they push themselves harder and go through the last stretch of intensive trainings, morning and evening to most of them; we just have to send them all our best wishes and pray that they will be safe and away from possible injuries. These athletes are definitely heroes of the nation they represent and the flag they hoist with pride. Salute to all the SEA Games 2015 athletes!
The Supporters
As with the parents and families of the athletes, the excitement must be making them tremble at times, I suppose. I have had the good opportunity to interview a number of athletes who will be involved in the forthcoming SEA Games and when I asked them: Who’s your biggest supporter in this journey? They answered very easily: ‘My parents!’ Yes, Mom and Dad are on the top of the list and then followed by their fellow teammates, coaches and friends.
The Committee
As for the SEA Games technical committees, competition managers, local and international sports officials, and volunteers engaged in the process and those who will be involved during the actual games, the hard work and preparation are just as tough as they only want nothing but for the games to be facilitated smoothly, professionally, and more importantly, fairly for the all athletes of the participating nations. It must be tough working on the competition format, athletic policies, procedures, rules of racing, and the polishing of the technical handbook of each of the featured sports.
This 28th SEA Games 2015 has indeed brought so much excitement in the region not only because of the host country’s beautiful venues, people and culture, but because through the platform of sports, the Southeast Asian nations unite and integrate as one community having love and respect for each other. This coming June 2015, The Heroes, The Supporters, The Committee–the 11 Nations team up in Singapore for this big celebration of the extraordinary.
You must see these 50 Icons of SG, gorgeously collated by the amazing team behind SG50. It will make you smile. It will make you cry. It will make you proud!
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