All about the 'magnificent and international-class' Opening Ceremony of SEA Games 33

The opening ceremony of SEA Games 33 will officially take place at 7:00 p.m. on December 9 at Rajamangala National Stadium.

Initially, the Organizing Committee chose Sanam Luang in Phra Nakhon district, the historical center of Bangkok and right next to the Grand Palace as the venue for the opening ceremony, while the Rajamangala National Stadium would host the closing ceremony. The then Minister of Tourism and Sports , Head of the 33rd SEA Games Organizing Committee, Mr. Surawong Thienthong, promised a spectacular, solemn and memorable opening ceremony.

Much has changed since then. Just over a month before the 33rd SEA Games, the venue for the Opening Ceremony was moved to the Rajamangala National Stadium for security reasons as tensions between Thailand and Cambodia increased. In addition, after the passing of Queen Sirikit of Thailand at the age of 93, the Organizing Committee planned to hold a solemn but simple Opening Ceremony.

However, in the first SEA Games hosted by Thailand after 18 years, the host country wants to impress friends in the region as well as internationally, and at the same time consider this as a driving force for economic and tourism development. Therefore, on December 7, Mr. Atthakorn Sirilatthakorn, who replaced Mr. Surawong as Minister of Tourism and Sports, announced that the Opening Ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games will ensure all elements, from grandeur, artistry as well as international standards.

View of Rajamangala Stadium preparing for the opening ceremony of SEA Games 33.

According to Minister Atthakorn, despite facing many obstacles, from the historic floods in southern Thailand to the conflict with Cambodia that disrupted the plan, as well as budget constraints, the 33rd SEA Games Opening Ceremony, which is expected to bring in 15 billion baht, will certainly not disappoint anyone. The program will make everyone fascinated by the multidimensionality of art, culture and beauty of Thailand.

The organizing committee said that the SEA Games opening ceremony was solemnly held with the chairmanship of King Maha Vajiralongkorn. and Queen Suthida.

The highlight of the ceremony is the emphasis on new standards, exploiting the potential of Thai people, especially the young generation, who are both modern and have the charm of Thailand. The 33rd SEA Games with the main theme "Unity of the whole region" or "We are one" will include five grand, large-scale performances, combining art, culture with modern performance technology, creating extreme excitement.

According to the explanation of the Organizing Committee, "One" (One) both means the first position that everyone wants to aim for, and is also the starting point, reminding that the SEA Games was first held in Thailand in 1959. Therefore, the opening performance is a spectacular performance, taking the audience "back in time" to the origin of the congress, before other performances continue to ignite the passion for sports.

The organizers also revealed that the Opening Ceremony is a blend of music and sports, along with images, lights, sounds and multimedia projection technology with many special effects, bringing the warmth of friendship of 11 Southeast Asian countries, while also showing the technological strength of the host country.

To add to the excitement, the show will also feature top Thai artists such as "BamBam" Kunpimook Bhuwakul, along with Nattawut Srimok, a rapper known as Golf F. Hero, and "V" Violet Wautier, "Twopee" Pitawat Phrueksakit, and Sombat Banchamek, also known as Buakaw Banchamek. Not to mention, hosting the event will be 11 international and national beauty queens, including Miss World 2025 Opal Suchata Chuangsri.

Eleven delegations with around 500 athletes will enter the main area of Rajamangala, with Brunei being the first country and host Thailand the last. The Thai flag will be held by Olympic silver medalist badminton player Kulwut Vitidsant and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist boxer Chanjam Suwanpeng.

The oath will be read on behalf of the athletes by host nation sprinter Phuriphon "Bew" Boonson, alongside 68kg taekwondo world champion Yu "Balung" Thapthimdaeng reading the oath in Thai, and Thai pistol shooter Thanyaporn "Tanya" Phruksakorn reading in English.

One special thing is that the 33rd SEA Games has the theme of "Green SEA Games Net Zero", and this will also take place in the torch lighting ceremony that does not pollute the environment. It is likely that Panipak Wongpattanakit, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in taekwondo, will perform this important ceremony in an unprecedented way, according to Mr. Atthakorn.

After many days of waiting and mixed with excitement and confusion due to many sudden changes, the 33rd SEA Games has finally officially opened. And let's wait and see the peak performance, opening the festival with exciting competition days of 11 Southeast Asian countries.

Images from the Rajamangala National Stadium on the eve of the Opening Ceremony: