2005 Southeast Asian Games

The 2005 Southeast Asian Games (Filipino: Palaro ng Timog Silangang Asya 2005), officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games was a multi-sport event held in the Philippines from 27 November to 5 December 2005 with 443 events in 40 sports and disciplines featured in the games. The games were participated by the eleven member countries of the Southeast Asian Games Federation. This was the first time that the opening and closing ceremonies were held in an open field instead of a stadium, setting the record for the world's largest live audience in an opening ceremony with 200,000 people at the Quirino Grandstand. These games were also noted for having the most number of delegates in the history of the SEA Games at that time. Several events commenced before the games include men's football which commenced on 20 November, Water polo which began on 21 November, women's football on 23 November, and sailing and tennis on 26 November.

The first gold medal of the games was awarded to Singapore when it won its 21st consecutive SEA Games gold in water polo. East Timor got their first medals as a SEA Games Federation member with 3 bronzes. And finally, the Philippines grabbed its first overall championship in the SEA Games with 113 golds, 84 silvers and 94 bronzes. This was the third SEA Games hosted by the Philippines and its first since 1991. Previously, Philippines stages the games in 1981 and 1991. Although many of the events took place around Metro Manila, other events notably aquatics, football and volleyball were held in Cebu City, Bacolod, Angeles, Subic Bay, and Los Baños. Philippines is the sixth nation to host the Southeast Asian Games after Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia and before Brunei and Vietnam.

The final medal tally was led by host Philippines, followed by Thailand and Vietnam. Several Asian, Games and national records were broken during the games. Though there were several controversies, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst the Southeast Asian Nations.

Organisation

Development and preparation

The organising body for these Games was the Philippine SEA Games Organising Committee (PhilSOC). Venues outside Manila actively prepared for welcoming the visiting athletes, except for organisers in the capital region had numerous problems drumming-up widespread support and exposure for the Games. Among the only visible indications of the Games, apart from the commercial sponsors' advertisements, were the welcome banners put up by the city government.

Venues

Rizal Park

PICC

Alabang Country Club

Amoranto Velodrome

Cuneta Astrodome

EAC

Makati Coliseum

Manila Golf Club

Marikina Sports Complex

Pasig Sports Center

PhilSports Arena

RMSC

Venues in Metro Manila; red pogs are sporting venues; blue pogs are non-sporting venues.

Manila

Cebu City

Bacolod

Subic

Los Baños

Host cities in the rest of the Philippines.

Metro Manila served as the main hub of the Games, though several events also took place in Bacolod City, Cebu City, Los Baños and Canlubang in Laguna, Tagaytay City in Cavite province, Angeles City in Pampanga, and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales.

Competition venues

Non-competition venues

• Philippine International Convention Center (Phil. Organising Committee and Main Press Centre)
• Century Park Hotel (International Broadcast Centre)
• Cebu City Sports Complex (Cebu Organising Committee & Pre-opening ceremony)
• Negros Occidental Activity Center (Bacolod-Negros Organising Committee)
• Rizal Park (Opening and Closing Ceremonies)
• Ninoy Aquino International Airport
• Mactan-Cebu International Airport
• Bacolod City Domestic Airport
• Subic Bay International Airport

Countdown

Cebu City and other satellite venues opened the 23rd Southeast Asian Games days earlier with pomp and pageantry. The SEA Games welcome ceremonies served as the "appetizer" for the formal opening in Manila. The Welcome Ceremony in Cebu were held in the Cebu City Sports Complex. During the rites, Sinulog dancers welcomed the athletes from the participating nations. During the entry of each country, various schools and colleges from Cebu performed one of the participating country's dance. Though, no one represented Timor Leste in the Parade, the flag still entered the stadium. The Cebu ceremony received raved reviews from its people but was also marred by criticism as well as funding irregularities. The opening had a sell out crowd of 20,000 people but this is due to the allegations that the local organizers heavily slashed ticket prices. The organizers were criticized for selling the SEA Games with "dirt cheapness". In Bacolod City, the welcome rites were held in the Panaad Stadium, the site of the Men's Football competitions. As expected, the city's Maskara Festival became the theme of the ceremony. In Subic, the theme was "Barrio Fiesta," which featured traditional dances and songs of the Aeta tribe. Similar welcome ceremonies were also held in the Marikina Sports Complex and at the Trace Aquatic Complex in Los Baños, Laguna.

Marketing

Gilas (Might), the 23rd Southeast Asian Games Philippines 2005 Official Mascot

Logo and mascot

The logo of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games is a festival mask similar to those found in most Southeast Asian countries. It represents the many different cultures that came 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 MassKara Festival held annually in Bacolod City, one of the satellite venues of the event. The logo was designed by Filipino freelance graphic designer Joel Manalastas.

The mascot of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games is a Philippine eagle named Gilas (Skill/Might). The Philippine eagle is one of the world's largest eagles, distinct for its majestic plumage on its head. The eagle is a symbol of elegance, strength and pride. It captured the winning spirit of the athletes. Gilas was inspired by the Filipino words Maliksi (agile), Malakas (strong), Matalino (smart), Mataas (high), and Matalas (sharp).

The SEA Games mascot was originally a Philippine tarsier until the Philippine SEA Games Organising Committee (PhilSOC) changed it to the Philippine eagle.

The SEA Games mascot Gilas was designed by Filipino sportswriter/columnist Danny Simon.

Songs

The theme of the games was "One Heritage, One Southeast Asia". Highlighted during the games' opening ceremony, the theme emphasises unity and co-operation among the 11 member nations of the SEA Games Federation.

The official hymn was "We're All Just One." The hymn was composed by singer-composer Jose Mari Chan and lyricist Rene Nieva. It was sung by nine-year-old Julia Abueva, granddaughter of Philippine national artist Napoleon Abueva, and University of the Philippines President Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman. She was accompanied by the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Ryan Cayabyab.

Sponsors

Billboards hang along EDSA for the Southeast Asian Games.

The games

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremonies of the games were held at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila; the first time a park was utilised instead of a stadium. By doing so, it brought down costs, alleviating the need to spend millions of pesos just to upgrade existing facilities. It also accommodated audiences and is considered large in an opening ceremony, bigger than the openers of the Olympic Games. Among the audiences were the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Philippines’ largest Islamic separatist group which sent representatives to attend the opening ceremonies as spectators. Renowned director Maria Montelibano was in charge of the overall program direction, while Ryan Cayabyab and Robert Tongco were in charge of musical and dance direction, respectively. Creative director Pogs Mendoza and assistant director Bebot Pondevida designed the stage.^[2] For the first time in the history of the Southeast Asian Games, the opening ceremony was held in an open-air location.^[3]

The Games opening started with the parade and entrance of the Philippine flag, carried by members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines. Following the flag were Boy Scouts of the Philippines and Girl Scouts of the Philippines from Sienna College and some of the host country's best athletes and SEA Games alumni, 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 now defunct San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Master Chorale, under the baton of Maestro Ryan Cayabyab, rendered "Sabihin Mo Ikaw Ay Pilipino" during the parade and entrance of the Philippine flag, and then the Philippine National Anthem during the flag raising ceremony. After the national anthem, a colorful cultural dance was presented by the world-renowned Bayanihan Dance Troupe and Jocson Tribe groups.^[4]

Leading the athletes was the SEA Games Federation Flag, carried by champion swimmer Eric Buhain, sprint queen Elma Muros-Posadas, badminton player Weena Lim, Mansueto Velasco, Monsour del Rosario and Paeng Nepomuceno. Brunei Darussalam led the Parade of Nations. After the entry of the delegation of Vietnam, Ati-Atihan dancers performed on stage and a large Philippine flag was unfurled by the volunteers from Gawad Kalinga to welcome Team Philippines, who wore stylized red and blue royal blue ramie linen barongs and salakot (A traditional wide-brimmed hat made of indigenous fibers, which is common in the region.) designed by international designer, Eric Pineda. Team Philippines was accompanied by Miss International 2005, Precious Lara Quigaman, current WBC Lightweight Champion, Manny Pacquiao and local celebrity, Angel Locsin.^[5] Throughout the parade, the Orchestra and the Chorale provided the score. Each of the participating countries were honored when each of the flag bearers waived their colours in front of the stage one by one, a first in the opening ceremonies of the games. After the parade of nations, the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Master Chorale performed the SEA Games Overture to welcome the athletes. Bayang Barrios led the colorful song and dance number, "Ang Alamat ng Timog Silangan" ("The Legend of the Southeast"), signifying the theme for the games, "One Heritage, One Southeast Asia." The ten-minute number featured the talents of the Bayanihan Dance Troupe, Hot Legs and various volunteer dancers from different schools around the country. The number ended with a presentation of dances from different Southeast Asian countries and the entrance of the flags of the participating nations, to the delight of the crowd and the athletes.^[2]

Southeast Asian Games Federation Chairman and Philippine Olympic Committee President Jose Cojuangco then gave a keynote speech inspiring athletes to perform their best in their events. He added that the host country is not just aspiring to win as many medals as it could but to show its good hospitality among its guests. Despite his removal as chair of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee three months ago, Roberto Pagdanganan was given the task of introducing the guest of honor, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The President entered the stage and formally declared the games open. To signify the opening of the games, fireworks lit the sky, and the SEA Games Flag was raised. Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski led the oath of sportsmanship and Cesar Mateo, the pledge for officiating judges. Singapore-based Filipino singer, Julia Abueva sang the theme, "We're All Just One," composed by Jose Mari Chan and written by Rene Nieva.^[3][4] Equestrienne Toni Leviste, riding a horse, carried the torch in front of the Rizal Monument before passing it to Olympian Maria Antoinette Rivero. The flame came all the way from Vietnam, host of the previous games, while the torch came from the last Asian Games in Busan. Rivero then crossed the Roxas Boulevard by parting the crowd all the way to the Grandstand stage. She lit a small cauldron, extinguishing the torch. Then, the flame made its way to the large cauldron, signaling the start of the games.^[4] The opening ceremony ended with a 45-minute concert. Local band Rivermaya, together with the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra, played the SEA Games song, "Posible," which inspired athletes that a medal win is possible. A fireworks display was on show during the performance.^[3]

Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony of the Games was held at the Quirino Grandstand on 5 December, marking the end of the successful event. The Philippines, for the first time in the history of the Games, emerged as the champions after 28 years.

The Philippines passed on the SEA Games Federation Flag, as a sign of the completion of its hosting job, to the next host country, Thailand. Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister, Suwat Liptapanlop, was present to receive the flag. The Thai Olympic Committee will make the 24th edition of the games the most spectacular sporting event in its history, as the opening date also commemorates the 80th birth anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thai dancers graced the stage to provide spectators with a glimpse of what the athletes would expect in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Participating nations

Country		Athletes			Officials
IOC Code	Name	Men	Women	Total	Men	Women	Total
BRU	Brunei	88	21	109	109	11	120
CAM	Cambodia	62	15	77	41	3	44
INA	Indonesia	367	266	633	315	89	404
LAO	Laos	66	9	75	60	6	66
MAS	Malaysia	281	134	415	220	81	301
MYA	Myanmar	192	140	332	154	34	188
PHI	Philippines (Host)	454	289	743	221	87	308
SIN	Singapore	195	168	363	216	75	291
THA	Thailand	389	288	677	221	47	268
TLS	Timor-Leste	24	9	33	13	2	15
VIE	Vietnam	360	292	652	254	60	314
	Total	3213	2159	5336	1824	495	2319

Sports

The 2005 SEAG featured 40 sports in more than 393 events. The 23rd edition of the games had the highest number of sporting events in the entire history of the SEAG at that time; more events than the Asian Games and the Olympic Games. The Southeast Asian Games Federation, through the recommendation of the Philippine SEA Games Organising 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.

¹ - not an official Olympic Sport
² - sport played only in the SEA Games
³ - not a traditional Olympic nor SEA Games Sport and introduced only by the host country.
° - a former official Olympic Sport, not applied in previous host countries and was introduced only by the host country.

Medal table

A total of 1,462 medals, comprising 444 gold medals, 434 silver medals, and 584 bronze medals were awarded to athletes. The Host Philippines performance was their best ever yet in Southeast Asian Games history and emerged as overall champion of the games.^[6]

Key

  *   Host nation (Philippines)

2005 Southeast Asian Games medal table

Rank	NOC	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Philippines (PHI)*	113	84	94	291
2	Thailand (THA)	87	78	118	283
3	Vietnam (VIE)	71	68	89	228
4	Malaysia (MAS)	61	49	65	175
5	Indonesia (INA)	49	79	89	217
6	Singapore (SIN)	42	32	55	129
7	Myanmar (MYA)	17	34	48	99
8	Laos (LAO)	3	4	12	19
9	Brunei (BRU)	1	3	2	6
10	Cambodia (CAM)	0	3	9	12
11	Timor-Leste (TLS)	0	0	3	3
Total (11 NOCs)		444	434	584	1462

Broadcasting

The Games was broadcast live and uninterrupted in the Philippines, simultaneously by ABC 5, the National Broadcasting Network and the Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation. In Singapore, the games was broadcast on Mediacorp Channel 5, in Thailand by Channel 5 and in Vietnam by VTV Channel 3. Mabuhay Satellite transmitted the ceremony to international broadcasters through the Aguila 2 satellite.^[4]

Concerns and controversies

• The Philippines' decision to scatter the events in multiple cities across the country posed logistical problems for the athletes and officials. Thailand protested a boxing decision that favoured the host country to the International Boxing Association (AIBA). The 2005 SEA Games website was also criticised for its outdated tally of the medal standings.
• At the Opening Ceremony, President Arroyo was booed by the spectators due to the alleged cheating in the Philippine general election, 2004.
• The welcome ceremony in Cebu received raved reviews from its people but was also marred by criticism as well as funding irregularities. The opening had a sell out crowd of 20,000 people but this is due to the allegations that the local organizers heavily slashed ticket prices. The organizers were criticized for selling the SEA Games with "dirt cheapness".
• Organisers in the capital region had numerous problems drumming-up widespread support and exposure for the Games

See also

• 2005 ASEAN Para Games

References

External links

• The Official Website of the Games
• Cebu SEA Games Organising Committee
• Bacolod-Negros SEA Games Organising Committee
• Philippine Sports Commission
• Philippine Olympic Committee
• Channel NewsAsia SEA Games 2005 Special
• Southeast Asian Games Information
• RPSports.com