This is a list of sports played in the biennial Southeast Asian Games. Unlike the Olympic Games, there are no official limits to the number of sports which may be contested, and the range may be decided by the organising host pending approval by the Southeast Asian Games Federation. Albeit for some core sports which must be featured, the host is also free to introduce other sports. Over time, this has meant as much as 43 sports in the 24th edition of the games, and the programme has included relatively obscure sports such as arnis, finswimming and pétanque.
In the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, medals in 56 different sports were contested—the most in its history.
History The Southeast Asian Peninsular Games, as the Southeast Asian Games was then known, was first held in Bangkok in 1959 with 12 sports, namely aquatics, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, football, shooting, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, and weightlifting.
SEAGF Charter and Rules Before and up to 2023, the SEAGF Charter and Rules dictated that the following sports be on the program:
Minimum of 22 sports Category 1: Aquatics and Athletics Category 2 (at least 14): Sports at the Olympic and Asian Games Category 3 (up to 8): Regional/Traditional sports
In 2023, the charter was modified to specify the following:
Minimum of 36 sports Category 1A: Aquatics and Athletics Category 1B (at least 10): Sports at the Summer Olympic Games Category 2 (at least 10): Sports at the: Olympic Games (summer/winter) Asian Games Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Category 3 (up to 4): Regional/Traditional sports
Sports The following sports (or disciplines of a sport) are part of the current program or were contested before, and are listed alphabetically according to the name used by the IOC. The figures in each cell indicate the number of events for each sport contested at the respective Games; a bullet () denotes that the sport was contested as a demonstration sport. A "Y" is used to indicate that a sport was played, but the number of events is not yet established. An "X" is used to indicate a sport that is set to be included in a future event.
Twelve of the sports (Aquatics, baseball and softball, basketball, cycling, equestrian, football, gymnastics, handball, hockey, volleyball, winter sports, and wrestling) consist of multiple disciplines. Disciplines from the same sport are grouped under the same colour:
Aquatics – Baseball and softball – Basketball – Cycling – Equestrian – Football – Gymnastics – Volleyball – Winter sports – Wrestling
Sport (Discipline) Body 59 61 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 Artistic swimming WAquatics Y 5 35 3X Diving 44444444444444YYYYY810108888134844X Open water swimming 4 1 3 Swimming 61324YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY323232323832384038403938X Water polo 1111111111111111111111121222 22X Archery WArchery 1212121212444444444888101010101010 10X Arnis WEKAF • 6 20 12 Athletics WAthletics28YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY454245454647464548454747X Badminton BWF257557777777777777777777775777787X Baseball WBSC 11 1 1 1 Softball 22 1 2 2 2 Baseball5 1 3x3 Basketball FIBA 2222 Basketball 1122222222222222222122 2 22222222X Billiards and snooker WCBS Y YYYYYY12131210101210710101010X Bodybuilding IFBB 865 5 10 Bowling IBF 1011 10 101196 6X Boxing WBoxing Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y 9141715141411613131617X Bridge WBF 9 Canoeing (sprint) PW 15712 151617 711 10 Canoeing (slalom) 2 Chess FIDE 88 918 510 8 Cricket ICC 3 84X Ouk chaktrang7 Xiangqi WXF 44 BMX UCI 22 23 2X Mountain biking 44445 4453 Road cycling 3310138 Y54456656847X Track cycling 311 7 13 5X AquathlonWTriathlon33 Duathlon 2 323 Triathlon 22 223425X Dancesport WDSF 210 14122 X Disc golf WFDF • E-sports GEF 61096X Dressage FEI 2 2222 2X Endurance 2 Eventing 2 22 2X Jumping 22 2222 2X Fencing FIE 101212 12 12612121212X Finswimming CMAS 16 1616 1324 Floorball IFF •2 2 22 Football FIFA111111111111211112212222212122222X Futsal 2 22 2 2 2X Golf IGF 44444444444X Artistic WGymnastics 141313 14 14121214810X Rhythmic 656 1 2852 4X Aerobic 444 2 3552 Handball (indoor) IHF 2 2 2 2 Handball (beach) 2 2 11 Field hockey FIH 2 222 22X Indoor hockey 22 22X Hockey5s 2 Jet skiUIM66 Judo IJF 1681618161812616131312X Ju-jitsu JJIF 1161318 Kabaddi IKF 6X Karate WKF 191818171617 1613151715X KenpōIKF 1618 Kickboxing WAKO 812178 Kun bokator21 Kun khmer19 Kurash IKA 1010 Lawn bowls WBowls 6 86 X Mixed martial arts IMMAF • Modern pentathlon UIPM 6 6 Muay thai IFMA 71113 14 5911 18X Netball WNetball 1 111 1X Obstacle race FISO 6 4 PadelFIPadelX Paragliding FAI 12 • Paramotoring FAI • Pencak silatIPSF 22131718151313209162213X Pétanque FIPJP 64911611107481111X Polo FIPolo 1 11 2X Roller speed skating WSkate 12 Rowing WRowing 8911 11918 616 10 Rugby sevensWRugby2222X Rugby union 1 11 2 Sailing WSailing 1217 913201411 914X Sambo FIAS 7 Sepak takraw ISTAF 446668684887X Hoop22222222 Chinlone844112X Shooting ISSFYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY42223334141226141422 30X Shuttlecock ISF 7 7 Skateboarding WSkate 8 4 Soft tennis ISTF 7 3 7 Sport climbing WClimbing 10 6 Squash WSquash 21 595 4X Surfing ISA 4 Table tennis ITTF1177777777777777 Y Y Y Y Y 777754774777X Taekwondo WTaekwondo 161616212121151622192420X Tennis World Tennis YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY77777 755777X TeqballFITEQ•5X Traditional boat race IDBF 44 464 10178 6 138 Tug of war TWIF • Ultimate WFDF • Underwater hockey CMAS 4 Volleyball (indoor) FIVB1122222222222222 222222222222X Volleyball (beach) 22222 2222 Waterskiing IWaterskiWakeboardF Y Y 11 11115 4X Weightlifting IWeightliftingF 131013131411 510141414X Ice hockey IIHF 11 2XFigure skating ISU 22 2XShort track speed skating 66 7X Woodball IWoodballF 6 Freestyle UWW Y59101014 18208 Greco-roman Y 591010 14 104 Wushu IWUF 14 14 19 20282214212023201716212224X Vovinam WVVF 1418 1530 Total events 440233391442443475372543461402404529523580574???
Non-Olympic sports The SEA Games features numerous non-Olympic sports in its programme, reflecting the popularity of some sports to the region, or as a means of introducing more obscure sports to the region and beyond. Some sports dropped from the Olympic programme may still be retained in the SEAG, although the games does not feature all of the Olympic sports, often in favour of the traditional ones.
SportIntroducedRemarksBilliards and snooker1987 (Indonesia)Also in Asian Games, East Asian GamesBodybuilding1987 (Indonesia)Also in Asian GamesBowling1975 (Thailand)Also in Asian Games, Asian Youth Games, East Asian Games, Pan American Games, Special Olympics World Games, West Asian Games, World GamesChess2003 (Vietnam)Also in Asian GamesDancesport2005 (Philippines)Former Olympic sport (breaking only), also in Asian Games, East Asian Games, World GamesEsports2019 (Philippines)Also in Asian GamesFinswimming2003 (Vietnam)Also in World GamesFutsal2007 (Thailand)Also in Asian Indoor and Martial Arts GamesKarate1987 (Indonesia)Former Olympic sport, also in Asian Games, East Asian Games, South Asian Games, West Asian GamesLawn bowls1999 (Brunei)Pétanque2001 (Malaysia)Also in World GamesPolo2007 (Thailand)Former Olympic sportRugby union1967 (Thailand)Former Olympic sport, also in Asian Games, East Asian GamesSoftball1979 (Indonesia)Former Olympic sport, also in Asian Games, Pan American GamesSquash1991 (Philippines)To be an Olympic sport, also in Asian Games, East Asian Games, South Asian Games, West Asian Games, Pan American GamesTeqball2023 (Cambodia) (demonstration)2025 (Thailand) (full sport)Also in Asian Youth GamesTraditional boat race1993 (Singapore)Also in Asian Games, Asian Beach Games, East Asian GamesWaterskiing1987 (Indonesia)Also in Asian Beach Games, Pan American GamesWoodball2025 (Thailand)Also in Asian Beach GamesWushu1991 (Philippines)Also in Asian Games, East Asian Games, South Asian Games
Traditional sports SportCommon inIntroducedRemarksArnisPhilippines1991 (Philippines)Unique to SEAGChinloneMyanmar2013 (Myanmar)Unique to SEAGMuay thaiThailand2005 (Philippines)Unique to SEAGPencak silatIndonesia1987 (Indonesia)Unique to SEAGSepak takrawThroughout Southeast Asia1965 (Malaysia)Also in Asian GamesShuttlecockMalaysia and Vietnam2003 (Vietnam)Unique to SEAGVovinamVietnam2011 (Indonesia)Unique to SEAG
References