The Southeast Asian Games 2021 (Vietnamese: I hi Th thao ông Nam 2021, lit. '2021 Southeast Asian Sport Festival'), also known as the 31st SEA Games or SEA Games 31, will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2022. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, the event was postponed from November 21 to December 2, 2021.
It was rescheduled for May 12 to 23, 2022. It will include 40 sports, the majority of which will be seen during the Olympic Games. Since 2003, Vietnam will host the SEA Games for the second time.
Selection of the host city:
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City both made bids to host the games. While Ho Chi Minh City was once the preferred destination, Hanoi is now considered the most important owing to its current athletic facilities. Following the country's withdrawal from hosting the 2018 Asian Games due to budgetary constraints, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyn Tn Dng instructed provinces and localities not to develop new athletic facilities in order to save money.
Hanoi
According to a proposal presented to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), Hanoi would spend 1.7 trillion VND ($77 million) on planning and staging the two-week Games, which will take place in late November and early December. Broadcast rights, ads, sponsors, and other donations are projected to bring in 97 billion VND ($4.3 million).
Ho Chi Minh City is the capital of Vietnam.
The Communist Party's Municipal Standing Committee in Ho Chi Minh City accepted the city's hosting bid in December 2017. The direct cost of hosting the Games in the city is anticipated to be 7.48 trillion VND ($330 million), with 6.6 trillion VND (US$290 million) spent on improving sporting facilities and 904 billion VND ($40 million) spent on organizational expenditures, according to the plan. However, the Rach Chiec Sports Complex would cost additional 8.2 trillion VND ($360 million), and an athletes' community will not be created. The Games would take place in mid-August for 12 days and include 30-36 sports. A segment of the Games would also be held in the provinces of ng Nai and Bnh Dng.
Decision
The Vietnamese government announced Hanoi as the host city for the 31st Southeast Asian Games and the 2021 ASEAN Para Games on July 9, 2018. Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyn Xuân Phc signed a decision authorizing Hanoi's hosting of the Games on November 13, 2019. Despite the deferral of the 2020 Summer Olympics to July 2021, the games would still take place three months later, from late November to early December 2021. The 11th ASEAN Para Games will be held from December 17 to 23, 2021. The host broadcasters have been named as Vietnam Television and Voice of Vietnam.
Postponement
The 2021 Southeast Asian Games, which were originally slated to take place from November 21 to December 2, 2021, were postponed to May 12 to 23, 2022 owing of the COVID-19 epidemic.
Preparation
The SEA Games Organizing Committee (SEAGOC) of Vietnam was established in April 2020 with the ability to design, present, and implement preparations for the Games.
Budget The Vietnamese government has suggested a budget of 1.6 trillion VND (US$69.3 million) for this edition of the Southeast Asian Games. Organizing expenditures would be covered by 980.3 billion VND (US$42.3 million), while modifications and repairs to MCST-managed facilities would be covered by 602.3 billion VND (US$25.9 million). Renovations of facilities under their control are the responsibility of the provincial government. There will be no further athletic venues built for the edition other than a new cycle track in Ha Bnh Province and a tiny tennis facility on the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Centre campus (managed by the Hanoi People's Committee).
The organization expects to earn 226.6 billion VND (US$9.7 million) in income, with 136.6 billion VND coming from delegates' lodging costs and 65 billion VND coming from broadcast rights.
Vietnam's funding for the Games was decreased because of the COVID-19 epidemic. The Vietnamese government allocated a 750 billion VND (US$32.8 million) organizational budget for the Games in January 2022. The Vietnamese government authorized an extra funding for the Games of 449 billion VND (US$19.65 million) on April 1, 2022. In 2022, the funds will be withdrawn from the national budget for sports and physical education. A total of 378.3 billion VND will be allocated to four ministries and central agencies, with an additional 70.7 billion VND going to Hanoi and 11 other provinces.
Venues
While Hanoi will serve as the major center, numerous other provinces in the surrounding area will also hold games. Athletes and officials will be accommodated in hotels near their competition locations instead of an athletes' village. In the original concept, a new tennis facility would be erected on the grounds of the Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Centre, and a freshly refurbished Hàngy Stadium would host a men's football group. Both of these projects had delays and challenges during development and were unable to be finished in time for the games. As a result, the tennis location was moved to a newly constructed private venue in Bc Ninh Province, and during the group stage, Vit Tr Stadium will host a men's football team alongside Thiên Trng Stadium.
Torch relay
The torch relay will begin 31 days before the opening ceremony and will signify 31 Southeast Asian Games editions. On April 11, 2022, the voyage will begin in Hùng Temple in Ph Th Province and continue through all hosting provinces until reaching the cauldron at Mnh National Stadium in Hanoi on May 12, 2022.
The start of the event
The opening ceremony will take place at Mnh National Stadium on May 12, 2022, at 19:00 (local time). The event is directed by Trn Ly Ly, a well-known Vietnamese choreographer and the chairman of Vietnam's Department of Performing Arts. As a COVID-19 precaution, only 31 athletes from each country will take part in the parade of nations.
Participating countries
The Southeast Asian Games Federation expects all 11 nations to compete in the 2021 SEA Games. The participating NOCs are listed below.
The World Anti-Doping Agency originally prohibited Thailand and Indonesia from flying their national flags, but the ban was removed on February 3, 2022.
Brunei Darussalam Brunei Darus (24)
Indonesia (550) Cambodia (476)
Laos is a country in Southeast Asia (363)
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia (612)
Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia (352)
Philippines is a country in Asia (656)
Singapore is a city-state in Southeast (330)
Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia (888)
Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia (69)
(965) Vietnam (Host)
Hoàng Xuân Hiu created the logo for the 31st Southeast Asian Games. Hiu's logo is inspired by the "V" form created by combining pictures of a dove and a human hand, which stands for "victory" and "Vietnam." The picture of an athlete laying his palm on his left breast and singing the National Anthem before each solemn competition inspired this concept. Furthermore, the bird's wings represent a strong will, a drive to triumph, and excellent sportsmanship.
Sao La is the official mascot of the 31st Southeast Asian Games in 2022.
The 2021 Southeast Asian Games mascot is Sao La, which is based on the saola, a rare animal endemic to central Vietnam. The 2019 searching contest was won by this design by Ngô Xuân Khôi, which beat out 557 other mascot proposals.
The slogan for this edition was decided to be "For a Stronger Southeast Asia." The phrase expresses Vietnam's aspiration for the region to develop stronger as ASEAN Chair 2020, as well as the region's efforts to combat and fight the COVID-19 epidemic in Asia.
Theme music
The official theme song for the 31st SEA Games was announced at the International Press Conference on February 28, 2022. Huy Tun created the theme song Let's Shine, which has lyrics in both English and Vietnamese. Tùng Dng, H Ngc Hà, Văn Mai Hng, Isaac, and en Vâu all perform the song.