This is a special edition of the SEA Games, as it marks the return of the region’s most prestigious sports festival to Myanmar after a 44-year hiatus.
The ceremony is to begin with a splendid performance of lights, colours and traditional dances given by 8,000 students and volunteers. The show features Myanmar’s intrinsic cultural beauty and highlights the solidarity among Southeast Asian countries through the lens of sport.
A special highlight of the programme is a spectacular text and photo display conducted by Zin Yaw Maung Maung, a famous Burmese film director, with technical support from the China Arts and Entertainment Group (CAEG).
In order to ensure security at the SEA Games, the host country has arranged for thousands of volunteers and over 20,000 soldiers and guards to be stationed at airports, hotels, stadiums and other competition sites. Myanmar has also co-operated with Interpol and regional police forces to prevent dangerous elements and criminals from entering the country during the SEA Games competition.
Myanmar’s national leaders and the organising boards have pledged to give their all for a successful SEA Games, contributing to enhanced friendship and solidarity between countries in the region. The event is also an ideal opportunity for the host nation to introduce its culture, its people and an image of a Myanmar on the way to renovation and global integration. The host country has also promised to create the best training and competing conditions for the athletes.
The 27th SEA Games bring together more than 5,000 athletes from 11 member countries, fighting it out for medals in 33 sports and 460 specific disciplines. Vietnam has sent 519 athletes to Myanmar to compete in 29 of the 33 sports with the objective of winning at least 70 gold medals and making the top three on the overall podium. As of December 10, Vietnam had won a total of nine gold, four silver and seven bronze medals, and ranked second on the provisional SEA Games medal tally.
The Myanmar delegation declared their determination to earn 100 gold medals at the 27th SEA Games, and their athletes are doing a very good job, garnering 18 gold, eight silver and 10 bronze medals so far to keep the host team atop the standings over the past four days. Alongside the top spot, which will surely go to Myanmar, the second- and third-place positions will see strong competition from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia. Recognising the power of their rivals, the leaders of the Vietnam delegation, as well as athletes and fans, are still looking forward to second place in the overall medal count.
