Games-Profile of the Southeast Asian Games

SINGAPORE, May 25 (Reuters) - Factbox on the Southeast Asian Games, to be held in Singapore from June 5-16. - - - * The Southeast Asian Games, commonly known as the SEA Games, is a biennial multi-sports event involving competitors from 11 countries. * It was first held in 1959, as the Southeast Asian Peninsula Games, and featured six participating countries: Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. * Cambodia joined the second edition, held in 1961. * In 1977, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines joined and the event's name was changed to the Southeast Asian Games. * East Timor was admitted in 2003. East Timor and Cambodia are the only competing countries not to have hosted the event. * Thailand is the most successful nation, winning a combined total of 1,994 gold medals over the 27 completed editions of the Games. Indonesia is second, followed by Malaysia. * Singaporean swimmer Joscelin Yeo is the most successful individual at the SEA Games, winning a grand total of 40 gold medals at eight appearances between 1991 and 2003. * While there are a number of core Olympic sports that have been contested at almost every edition, there are also a handful of non-Olympic sports that are popular in the region, including sepak takraw, pencak silat and dragon boat racing. * Each host-nation is also allowed to choose their own programme, allowing them to choose sports in which they excel to boost their medal counts. * Singapore is hosting the SEA Games for the second time. The previous occasions was 1973. * Most of the events will be held at the $1 billion Singapore Sports Hub, which opened in 2014 and features a 55,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof. * There will be 36 sports, offering a total of 402 gold medals. (Compiled by Julian Linden; Editing by John O'Brien)