KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 19 -- The 29th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) started on Saturday with athletes from the region competing for 404 gold medals in 38 sports.
It's the sixth time for the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur to host the biennial event after 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989 and 2011.
Some 4,700 athletes from the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), namely Brunie, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam as well as Timor Leste are to compete in the games to run until Aug. 31.
The theme of this year's games is "Rising Together", signifying the coming of age for Southeast Asia as a community after the establishment of ASEAN Community at the end of 2017.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Malaysia's Minister of Youth and Sport Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar said SEA Games has been an important part of shaping the community of Southeast Asian nations.
"Every two years, our countries come together, not merely to complete, but to celebrate our southeast Asian community together," said Khairy, who will also play in the polo game representing his country.
The Games will see some of the world's top athletes, including Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling and sharp shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh of Vietnam, both gold medalists in last year's Rio Olympic Games.
They will be joined by home favorite like Malaysian world champions keirin cyclist Azizulhasni Awang and diving world champion Cheong Jun Hoong and Pandelela Rinong, the country's first female Olympic medalist.
However, the top badminton shuttlers in the region, among them some best in the sport like Lee Chong Wei will skip the SEA Games to participate in the World Championship to be held in Scotland.