Successful meeting about the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur

The next edition of the Southeast Asian Games will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where the opening ceremony is scheduled on August 19 in 2017. The local organizing committee had an important meeting in Kuala Lumpur in the recent days about the Games’ schedule, accommodation issues, transportation tasks and other organizing jobs.

It will be the sixth time that the most important multisport event of the region, the Southeast Asian Games held in Malaysia after 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989 and 2001. The Closing Ceremony of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games will be held on August 31 in 2017 which will coincide with Malaysia’s 60th Independence Day.

Altogether 405 events will be held in 38 sports and all of the 11 member nations are expected to take part in Kuala Lumpur. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam can take part in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.

The boxing tournament of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games will see athletes in six different men’s elite weight classes. Boxers between 18-40 years will be eligible to compete in Kuala Lumpur where traditionally strong countries as Philippines and Thailand are expected as key nations in the Southeast Asian Games.

The Malaysian Boxing Federation’s main event this year their National Games was held in Kuching, Sarawak a few weeks ago just before the Rio 2016 Olympic Games which was their first selection event for the Southeast Asian Games which is scheduled in 2017. The Malaysian National Games saw more than 100 men boxers in action which competition was the most important in the country in 2016.

The last edition of the Southeast Asian Games was held in Singapore where eleven finals were scheduled in the last competition day in June 2015. The multisport event delivered great boxing show in Singapore where Philippines secured five while their main rival Thailand only two gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games where 85 women and men boxers were competed for the podium places.

Vietnam proved their boxing life turned from the developing stage into the elite of the region because their women and men boxers secured three top positions in Singapore. Vietnam’s new woman star Le Thi Bang shocked Philippines’ top female boxer Nesthy Petecio in the final of the Women’s Bantamweight class (54 kg) which was the main surprise of the last edition of the Southeast Asian Games.

Unexpectedly only Malaysia missed the podium places in the boxing tournament of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore but their young talents will have the chance to do it better in the front of the home crowd.

List of the titleholders from the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore
Women’s 48 kg: Josie Gabuco, Philippines
Women’s 51 kg: Nguyen Thi Yen, Vietnam
Women’s 54 kg: Le Thi Bang, Vietnam
Women’s 57 kg: Tassamalee Thongjan, Thailand
Men’s 49 kg: Kornelis Kwangu Langu, Indonesia
Men’s 52 kg: Ian Clark Bautista, Philippines
Men’s 56 kg: Mario Fernandez, Philippines
Men’s 60 kg: Junel Cantancio, Philippines
Men’s 64 kg: Wuttichai Masuk, Thailand
Men’s 69 kg: Eumir Felix Marcial, Philippines
Men’s 75 kg: Truong Dinh Hoang, Vietnam