By 4:50 p.m. on Dec. 19, Thailand had secured 210 gold medals, along with 139 silver and 99 bronze, establishing a new record for the highest number of gold medals won by a single delegation at one SEA Games. The previous record was held by Vietnam, which collected 205 gold medals at the 31st SEA Games in 2022, which was delayed one year due to Covid-19.
With a total haul of 448 medals, Thailand also exceeded Vietnam’s overall medal record of 446 set at the 31st Games.
One contributing factor to Thailand’s record-breaking performance is the expanded scale of competition at the 33rd SEA Games. Vietnam hosted 523 medal events across 40 sports in 2022, while the current edition features 574 medal sets in 50 sports.
Thai officials had publicly stated their ambition to surpass Vietnam’s record.
Thailand’s strongest performances came in ju-jitsu, where the host nation won 14 gold medals, followed by athletics with 13, muay Thai with 11, and canoeing and taekwondo with 10 each. In football, however, Thailand finished with only a bronze medal in the women’s tournament and a silver medal in the men’s competition.
At the 31st SEA Games, Vietnam’s top gold-producing sports included athletics (22), wrestling (17), swimming (11), and diving and wushu (10). Vietnam also claimed gold medals in both the men’s and women’s football tournaments at that event.
Despite the medal success, the organization of the 33rd SEA Games has been marked by controversy. In boxing, Nesthy Petecio, the Philippines’ silver medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, alleged unfair treatment after losing her women’s 63kg semifinal bout to an Indonesian opponent, claiming the officiating favored the host nation.
On social media, a Filipino boxer commented: “Just give the gold medal to Thailand already, what’s the point of competing anymore?”
Philippine Boxing Federation president Ricky Vargas said a formal complaint had been filed, requesting clarification from the organizing committee regarding refereeing and scoring. Similar concerns have been raised in taekwondo events on Dec. 10 and in pencak silat sparring competitions. Questions have also been voiced over medal distribution in muay Thai.
The 33rd SEA Games will conclude on Dec. 20, with the final medals awarded in long-distance swimming and sepak takraw. The closing ceremony is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m.
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