The host nation, Malaysia, has come under scrutiny for its tendency to eliminate sports disciplines that are deemed less promising for them in the 2027 SEA Games. The sports and events that are being removed have historically been gold medal opportunities for other countries, including Indonesia.
As a result, Indonesia will suffer a major loss. At least 24 potential gold medals will be lost with the loss of key sports. These potential medals come from rowing (9 gold medals), sport climbing (4 gold medals), triathlon (7 gold medals), and one gold each from wrestling, kickboxing, beach volleyball, and men’s team badminton. This potential is based on the results at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
This means that Indonesia missed out on 26 percent of its total gold medal haul at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. Indonesia finished second in the final medal standings, collecting 91 golds, behind Thailand, which secured 233 golds.
On Friday (30/11/2026), the Executive Committee of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) officially approved the final list of 473 events across 43 sports for the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia. The approval was announced following the conclusion of the SEAGF Executive Committee meeting, which was attended by representatives from 11 National Olympic Committees (NOC).
The list of sports and events excludes rock climbing, rowing, beach volleyball, and men’s and women’s team badminton. Also missing are wrestling, chess, jujitsu, kickboxing, handball, and triathlon.
The final list of 43 sports and 473 events was established following discussions involving the Olympic Committee of Malaysia, the SEA Games Organizing Committee, and the SEAGF Executive Committee, in accordance with the SEAGF Charter and Regulations.
The sports and events that will be absent from the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia are largely not considered mainstays or gold medal prospects for the host country. One example of this is rowing.
At the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, Indonesia won a total of 25 medals in rowing, nine of which were gold. Three gold medals came from rowing and two from canoeing, two Olympic disciplines. The other four came from dragon boating.
Meanwhile, Malaysia only took home three bronze medals in the canoeing discipline. They were without any medals in rowing and dragon boating.
In rock climbing, Malaysia has not achieved remarkable success either. At the 2025 Thailand event, Malaysia and Vietnam were among six participants that returned empty-handed.
Indonesia secured four gold medals, while Thailand won two. Singapore took home one silver and one bronze medal, and the Philippines earned one bronze.
Similarly, in triathlon, while the Indonesian triathlon team brought home seven gold medals (including those in the aquathlon and duathlon), Malaysia only won three bronze medals.
The Secretary General of the Indonesian Triathlon Federation (FTI), Ahyar Daud, stated that they respect the authority of the SEAGF and the host country in determining the competition program. However, FTI believes that the sustainability of sports events, particularly Olympic programs like triathlon, requires attention in the governance of the smallest regional sports.
“Therefore, FTI encourages a constructive evaluation and communication involving the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Indonesian Olympic Committee (NOC Indonesia), SEAGF, Triathlon Malaysia, and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the interests of athlete development and the sustainability of triathlon in Southeast Asia continue to receive attention,” said Ahyar.
SEAGF Provisions
In the SEA Games, host countries often take advantage of their ability to select and determine specific sports to be contested, including their traditional or favored events. This selection process is actually based on the SEAGF charter and regulations. Despite the controversy, Malaysia has adhered to and based its decisions on these SEAGF guidelines.
Before the 2023 SEA Games, the host country must organize at least 22 sports, which include various categories: mandatory sports, Olympic and/or Asian Games sports, and traditional sports.
In 2023, the charter was amended to apply to three editions of the SEA Games in 2025, 2027, and 2029. The latest regulations require the host country to organize a minimum of 36 sports, divided into categories.
A. Category I, consisting of:
– Subcategory 1A: compulsory Olympic sports, namely aquatics and athletics.
In this subcategory, Malaysia is competing in four aquatic disciplines: artistic swimming, diving, swimming, and water polo, with a total of 48 events for both men and women. Meanwhile, in athletics, Malaysia is contesting 23 events.
– Subcategory 1B: minimum 10 Olympic branches.
Malaysia has selected a total of 21 Olympic sports, consisting of archery, badminton, basketball, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, and hockey, ice hockey, ice skating, judo, rugby 7s, sailing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, indoor volleyball, and weightlifting.
Category II: A minimum of 10 branches from the Olympics (summer/winter), Asian Games, and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts or Asian Beach Games.
Malaysia chose 18 branches, namely billiards, bowling, boxing, cricket, dance sports, e-sports, floorball, kabaddi, karate, muaythai, netball, padel, petanque, sepaktakraw, silat, squash, teqball, wushu.
C. Category III: Traditional sports selected from those determined several years in advance. This category is limited to four sports and no more than eight. Malaysia chose two: lawn bowls and waterskiing.
“The approval of the final list of 473 competition numbers provides greater clarity for all 11 NOCs of SEAGF to plan and intensify their preparations for the 34th SEA Games in Malaysia, scheduled to take place from September 18 to 29, 2027, across four clusters: Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang, and Johor,” said Nur Azmi Ahmad, Vice President of NOC Malaysia and Chairman of the SEAGF Executive Committee.
The Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, Raja Sapta Oktohari, emphasized that Indonesia respects the mechanisms and authority of the SEAGF in determining the competition program. However, he stated that the formulation of the sports program for the regional sporting event must still consider the principles of balance, equal opportunity, and the development of achievements across all ASEAN countries.
Moreover, the SEA Games is a sporting event that brings together Southeast Asian nations. According to Okto, the selection of sports and events should take into account the interests of all member countries, rather than focusing solely on the host’s organizational aspects.
“We certainly respect the decision made through the SEAGF mechanism, but it is important for us to continue advocating for the SEA Games to provide a proportional competitive space and fair opportunities for all athletes in Southeast Asia,” said Okto, a close associate of Raja Sapta Oktohari.
Okto emphasized the importance of ongoing communication and coordination with SEAGF and all its members to ensure that the SEA Games remain aligned with Olympic programs. Meanwhile, NOC Indonesia asserted that adjustments to the competition program should not diminish the spirit of preparation for the Indonesian team.
The host nation, Malaysia, has come under scrutiny for its tendency to eliminate sports disciplines that are deemed less promising for them in the 2027 SEA Games. The sports and events that are being removed have historically been gold medal opportunities for other countries, including Indonesia.
As a result, Indonesia will suffer a major loss. At least 24 potential gold medals will be lost with the loss of key sports. These potential medals come from rowing (9 gold medals), sport climbing (4 gold medals), triathlon (7 gold medals), and one gold each from wrestling, kickboxing, beach volleyball, and men’s team badminton. This potential is based on the results at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.
This means that Indonesia missed out on 26 percent of its total gold medal haul at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. Indonesia finished second in the final medal standings, collecting 91 golds, behind Thailand, which secured 233 golds.
On Friday (30/11/2026), the Executive Committee of the Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) officially approved the final list of 473 events across 43 sports for the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia. The approval was announced following the conclusion of the SEAGF Executive Committee meeting, which was attended by representatives from 11 National Olympic Committees (NOC).
The list of sports and events excludes rock climbing, rowing, beach volleyball, and men’s and women’s team badminton. Also missing are wrestling, chess, jujitsu, kickboxing, handball, and triathlon.
The final list of 43 sports and 473 events was established following discussions involving the Olympic Committee of Malaysia, the SEA Games Organizing Committee, and the SEAGF Executive Committee, in accordance with the SEAGF Charter and Regulations.
The sports and events that will be absent from the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia are largely not considered mainstays or gold medal prospects for the host country. One example of this is rowing.
At the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, Indonesia won a total of 25 medals in rowing, nine of which were gold. Three gold medals came from rowing and two from canoeing, two Olympic disciplines. The other four came from dragon boating.
Meanwhile, Malaysia only took home three bronze medals in the canoeing discipline. They were without any medals in rowing and dragon boating.
In rock climbing, Malaysia has not achieved remarkable success either. At the 2025 Thailand event, Malaysia and Vietnam were among six participants that returned empty-handed.
Indonesia secured four gold medals, while Thailand won two. Singapore took home one silver and one bronze medal, and the Philippines earned one bronze.
Similarly, in triathlon, while the Indonesian triathlon team brought home seven gold medals (including those in the aquathlon and duathlon), Malaysia only won three bronze medals.
The Secretary General of the Indonesian Triathlon Federation (FTI), Ahyar Daud, stated that they respect the authority of the SEAGF and the host country in determining the competition program. However, FTI believes that the sustainability of sports events, particularly Olympic programs like triathlon, requires attention in the governance of the smallest regional sports.
“Therefore, FTI encourages a constructive evaluation and communication involving the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Indonesian Olympic Committee (NOC Indonesia), SEAGF, Triathlon Malaysia, and relevant stakeholders to ensure that the interests of athlete development and the sustainability of triathlon in Southeast Asia continue to receive attention,” said Ahyar.
SEAGF Provisions
In the SEA Games, host countries often take advantage of their ability to select and determine specific sports to be contested, including their traditional or favored events. This selection process is actually based on the SEAGF charter and regulations. Despite the controversy, Malaysia has adhered to and based its decisions on these SEAGF guidelines.
Before the 2023 SEA Games, the host country must organize at least 22 sports, which include various categories: mandatory sports, Olympic and/or Asian Games sports, and traditional sports.
In 2023, the charter was amended to apply to three editions of the SEA Games in 2025, 2027, and 2029. The latest regulations require the host country to organize a minimum of 36 sports, divided into categories.
A. Category I, consisting of:
– Subcategory 1A: compulsory Olympic sports, namely aquatics and athletics.
In this subcategory, Malaysia is competing in four aquatic disciplines: artistic swimming, diving, swimming, and water polo, with a total of 48 events for both men and women. Meanwhile, in athletics, Malaysia is contesting 23 events.
– Subcategory 1B: minimum 10 Olympic branches.
Malaysia has selected a total of 21 Olympic sports, consisting of archery, badminton, basketball, cycling, equestrian, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, and hockey, ice hockey, ice skating, judo, rugby 7s, sailing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, indoor volleyball, and weightlifting.
Category II: A minimum of 10 branches from the Olympics (summer/winter), Asian Games, and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts or Asian Beach Games.
Malaysia chose 18 branches, namely billiards, bowling, boxing, cricket, dance sports, e-sports, floorball, kabaddi, karate, muaythai, netball, padel, petanque, sepaktakraw, silat, squash, teqball, wushu.
C. Category III: Traditional sports selected from those determined several years in advance. This category is limited to four sports and no more than eight. Malaysia chose two: lawn bowls and waterskiing.
“The approval of the final list of 473 competition numbers provides greater clarity for all 11 NOCs of SEAGF to plan and intensify their preparations for the 34th SEA Games in Malaysia, scheduled to take place from September 18 to 29, 2027, across four clusters: Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang, and Johor,” said Nur Azmi Ahmad, Vice President of NOC Malaysia and Chairman of the SEAGF Executive Committee.
The Chairman of the Indonesian Olympic Committee, Raja Sapta Oktohari, emphasized that Indonesia respects the mechanisms and authority of the SEAGF in determining the competition program. However, he stated that the formulation of the sports program for the regional sporting event must still consider the principles of balance, equal opportunity, and the development of achievements across all ASEAN countries.
Moreover, the SEA Games is a sporting event that brings together Southeast Asian nations. According to Okto, the selection of sports and events should take into account the interests of all member countries, rather than focusing solely on the host’s organizational aspects.
“We certainly respect the decision made through the SEAGF mechanism, but it is important for us to continue advocating for the SEA Games to provide a proportional competitive space and fair opportunities for all athletes in Southeast Asia,” said Okto, a close associate of Raja Sapta Oktohari.
Okto emphasized the importance of ongoing communication and coordination with SEAGF and all its members to ensure that the SEA Games remain aligned with Olympic programs. Meanwhile, NOC Indonesia asserted that adjustments to the competition program should not diminish the spirit of preparation for the Indonesian team.
