2005 SEA Games
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The 23rd Southeast Asian Games is being held in the Philippines from November 27 to December 5, 2005, although events in Men's Football has already started on 20 November. The Water Polo events began on 21 November, Women's Football on the 23 November, Sailing on 26 November and Tennis on 26 November.
The first gold medal of the games was awarded to Singapore on 25 November when the Water polo team came out tops and unbeaten in the round-robin tournaments, with the Filipino team taking the silver medal and the Malaysian team the bronze.
The Games are also considered both a spectacular event and a valuable opportunity for athletes to gain competition experience and preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games. The South East Asian Games were purposely created to strengthen friendship, solidarity and understanding among neighboring countries in the region.
This is the third SEA Games to be hosted by Philippines, the last two were held in 1981 and 1991. Although centered around the capital city of Manila, the logistical huddles required the unusual step of spreading the events across the country in ten other cities. This arrangement was not seen favourably by other participating countries who anticipate travel and accomodation problems in particular, a worry which was confirmed soon after their arrival.
The opening ceremonies were held at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila and the closing ceremonies will be held at the same venue.
Medal table
(Host nation in bold.)
| Position | Country: | Gold: | Silver: | Bronze: | Total: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | File:Philippines flag large.png Philippines | 10 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
| 2. | File:Malaysia flag large.png Malaysia | 5 | 7 | 4 | 16 |
| 3. |  Indonesia |
4 | 3 | 7 | 14 |
| 4. | File:Thailand flag large.png Thailand | 2 | 3 | 9 | 14 |
| 5. | File:Singapore flag large.png Singapore | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 6. |  Vietnam |
0 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 7. | File:Myanmar flag large.png Myanmar | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Mascot
Gilas (Elegance) is a Philippine Eagle. It is one of the world's largest eagles, distinct for the majestic plumage on top of its head. The eagle is a symbol of elegance, strength and pride. It captures the winning spirit of all the participating athletes. Gilas got its name from Filipino words Maliksi, Malakas, Matalino, Angat, Matalas which means active, strong, intelligent, high, and sharp.
The original mascot was supposed to be a Philippine Tarsier. Until the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PhilSOC) changed it to its current mascot, Gilas, the Philippine Eagle.
Logo
The logo makes use of the festival mask similar to those found in most Southeast Asian countries. It represents the many different cultures that will come together for the Games. At the same time the mask captures the exuberant spirit and hospitality of the Filipinos. The logo was inspired by the Maskara Festival held annually in Bacolod, one of the venues of the event.
Preparations
The organizing body for the Games is the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Philsoc). The last time the Philippines have hosted the SEA Games was 14 years before in 1991.
Preparations of the host country for the SEA Games have been criticized both locally and in the region. The ten visiting nations have experienced problems of logistic issues particularly over accomodation and transport. [1] In addition, while the venues outside Manila have actively prepared for welcoming the visiting athletes, organizers in the capital have had numerous problems drumming up widespread support and exposure for the SEA Games. Among the only visible indication of the Games apart from the commercial sponsors' advertisements are the welcome banners put up by the city government of Manila.
Opening Ceremonies
It is also for the first time in the history of the Southeast Asian Games, the opening ceremony will be held in a grandstand located in an open-air park instead of having it in a stadium. Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, led the nation in welcoming more than 7,000 athletes, officials and members of the participating countries – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste (East Timor), Vietnam and the host. The ceremonies was attented by a record-breaking 200,000 spectators in a 3-hour extravaganza.
The Games opening started with a parade of the Philippine flag, carried by a members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and Girl Scouts of the Philippines from Sienna College.
This was followed by a parade of the country's best athletes and SEA Games alumni like basketball star Allan Caidic, sprinter Lydia de Vega-Mercado, boxer Mansueto "Onyok" Velasco, swimmer Akiko Thomson, sharpshooter Nathaniel "Tac" Padilla, taekwondo star Monsour del Rosario, equestrian champion Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, bowler Paeng Nepomuceno and world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao.
The national anthem of the Philippines interpreted by the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Master Chorale under the baton of Ryan Cayabyab.
After the Philippine national anthem, a colorful cultural dance was presented by the Bayanihan Dance Troupe.
The carrying of the SEA Games Federation Flag was led by SEA Games alumnus Eric Buhain, sprint queen Elma Muros-Posadas and badminton player Weena Lim.
After this came the presentation of the participating countries in the SEA Games led by Brunei Darussallam with 110 athletes. he delegation was led by flag-bearer Yunus Hamid and their chief of mission, Jopar Bangkal. Cambodia paraded second with 84 athletes participating in the Games led by wrestler Kohm Ratan Mony. The delegation of Indonesia, one of the largest in the Games, paraded after with a total of 926 delegates. The Indonesians have 625 in its roster. They are led by flag-bearer Hendrawan, a badminton world champion and a silver medalist in the Sydney Olympics.
Laos followed Indonesia's 138 delegates with 77 athletes. They were led by taekwondo coach Chanthavong Panyasiri. The delegation of Malaysia marched at the Quirino Grandstand oval with 745 delegates. The Malaysians have 390 athletes. They were followed by the 525-strong delegation from Myanmar with athletics star Aung Thi Ha as flag-bearer.
Singapore followed by Myanmar's 593 delegates with 371 athletes. They were followed by Thailand, which sent 652 delegates. The smallest delegation of atheletes came from the newest country of Timor Leste, which sent only 33 athletes. Taekwondo athlete Nguyen Van Hung led the delegation of Vietnam, which sent 506 delegates to the SEA Games.
The Philippine team, the largest so far, was last to parade and was greeted by Ati-Atihan dancers. Mikee Cojuangco was flag-bearer of the delegation that boasts of 740 athletes and officials. The delegation was led by Miss International Precious Lara Quigaman and William Ramirez, trustee coordinator of Philippine Sports Commission.
Cebu City opened the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games two days earlier with pomp and pageantry. The SEA Games welcome ceremony, served as the “appetizer” for the formal opening in Manila.
In an unexpected move, representatives of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Philippines’ largest Muslim separatist group will attend the opening of the SEA Games as a “goodwill measure”.
Sports
The 2005 SEA Games features 40 sports in more than 393 events. The Southeast Asian Games Federation, through the recommendation of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHILSOC), decided to exclude Basketball, a popular sport in the Philippines, from the competitions due to the decision of FIBA to ban the host country to participate in any international competitions of the sport.
Articles about 2005 Southeast Asian Games by sport:
Nations
| Country | Athletes | Officials | Total | Gold medals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men | Women | Total | Men | Women | Total | Targetted | Won to date | Won at previous games | ||
| File:Brunei flag large.png Brunei Darussalam (BRU) | 200 | 71 | 271 | 109 | 11 | 120 | 391 | 0 | 1 | |
| File:Cambodia flag large.png Cambodia (CAM) | 90 | 18 | 108 | 41 | 3 | 44 | 152 | 0 | 1 | |
| Indonesia (INA) |
443 | 336 | 779 | 315 | 89 | 404 | 1183 | 3 | 55 | |
| File:Laos flag large.png Laos (LAO) | 78 | 24 | 102 | 60 | 6 | 66 | 168 | 0 | 1 | |
| File:Malaysia flag large.png Malaysia (MAS) | 369 | 244 | 613 | 220 | 81 | 301 | 914 | 55 | 5 | 44 |
| File:Myanmar flag large.png Myanmar (MYA) | 262 | 190 | 452 | 154 | 34 | 188 | 640 | 0 | 16 | |
| File:Philippines flag large.png Philippines (PHI) | 529 | 363 | 892 | 221 | 87 | 308 | 1200 | 120-130 | 9 | 48 |
| File:Singapore flag large.png Singapore (SIN) | 385 | 273 | 658 | 216 | 75 | 291 | 949 | 35 | 1 | 30 |
| File:Thailand flag large.png Thailand (THA) | 473 | 343 | 780 | 221 | 47 | 268 | 1048 | 104 | 1 | 90 |
| File:East timor flag large.png Timor Leste (TLS) | 24 | 5 | 29 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 44 | 0 | 0 | |
| Vietnam (VIE) |
360 | 292 | 652 | 254 | 60 | 314 | 966 | 60-70 | 5 | 158 |
| Total | 3213 | 2159 | 5336 | 1824 | 495 | 2319 | 7655 | |||
Venues
Metro Manila will serve as the main hub of the Games, though several events will also take place in Bacolod City, Cebu City, Los Baños and Canlubang, Laguna, Tagaytay City, Angeles City, Pampanga, Antipolo City and Subic Bay Freeport.
External links
- The Official Website of the 23rd SEA Games Philippines 2005
- Cebu SEA Games Organizing Committee
- Bacolod-Negros SEA Games Organizing Committee
- Philippine Sports Commission
- Philippine Olympic Committee
- Southeast Asian Games Information
| Games |
|  |
|---|---|---|
1 Formerly known as Southeast Asian Peninsular Games from 1959 until 1975. 2 Cancelled due to hosting issues and due to the Vietnam War. 3 Postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||