Phnom Penh, Cambodia, May 12, 2023: Southeast Asian sports powerhouse Vietnam has a new rival in the race for first place in the medal rankings at the 32nd SEA Games – host nation Cambodia.
After seven days of official competition, Vietnam lead the standings with 58 gold medals, plus 57 silver and 72 bronze for a total of 187.
Cambodia are second with 56 gold medals, 44 silver and 54 bronze for a total of 154, while another SEA super power Thailand are third and still very much in contention for overall victory with 54 gold, 39 silver and 58 bronze for 151.
Indonesia (42), Singapore (36) and Philippines (27) round out the top six in the 11-nation SEA Games.
Cambodia’s rise can be put down to a number of factors, including the advantage of playing at home which every host country enjoys.
Also, the sports programme includes a couple of local favourites such as the ancient Khmer martial art of Kun Bokator and Kun Khmer, which has replaced Muay Thai.
The medal tally at the end of Day 7 takes in 318 events of the 579 in 36 sports; there are still 261 gold medals to be contested over the next six days before the closing ceremony on Wednesday, May 17.