(VOVWORLD) - The 32nd Southeast Asian Games 2023 hosted by Cambodia for the first time, came to a close in Morodok Techo Stadium, Phnom Penh, on Wednesday evening.
 The closing ceremony. (Photo: VOV) |
After their 20-day Games competition, team Vietnam topped the medal ranking, winning 136 golds, 105 silvers and 118 bronzes. Thailand ranked second, Indonesia third, and the host Cambodia in 4th place.
The games had 12,400 members of 11 sports delegations competing in 37 sports with 581 events.
The closing ceremony began with the performance “See you again”, which screened clips of impressive moments and thanked the volunteers of the biggest sporting event in Southeast Asia.
On the spotlight was the grand performance "The Great Soul of Labokator" involving thousands of martial artists and introducing the esoteric martial art of the host country, which UNESCO recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2022.
 Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen waves at the 32nd SEA Games' closing ceremony. (Photo: VOV) |
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the SEA Games is officially over. “Everything has gone so fast at the 32nd SEA Games from the start to the end today. We thank the ASEAN Community, the Southeast Asian Sports Federation, the regional sports delegations for their support for us to organize this great event. We would like to thank the teams of operators, referees, volunteers and all Cambodians who have come together to make the SEA Games a great success,” Hun Sen said.
Awards were handed out, with Singapore swimmer Quah Ting Wen (6 gold medals) and Cambodian martial artist Pal Chhor Raksmy (4 golds in Vovinam) named as the best athletes.
The next SEA Games will be held in Thailand in December 2025.