1981 Southeast Asian Games
Encyclopedia
The 11th Southeast Asian Games
were held in Manila
, Philippines
from December 6, 1981 to December 15, 1981. This was the first time that the Philippines
hosted the Games since its first participation in 1977. The event was officially opened by President
Ferdinand Marcos
and the cauldron was lit by Benjamin Silva-Netto. The colorful opening ceremony was held in the Rizal Memorial Stadium
in Manila
. A new football stadium and indoor arena was built in Pasig
named the University of Life Track & Field and Arena or the ULTRA, now called the PhilSports Arena
. The adjacent apartments were used as the athlete's quarters and was converted into a BLISS housing project of First Lady
Imelda Marcos
. were the broadcast partner by MBS-4 was the officially broadcast country.
1Brunei was a British
colony at that time.
More than 2,200 athletes and officials participated in the Manila Games. Bong Coo emerged as its most successful Filipino campaigner. She won six medals in six events, four of which were gold medals where she set six individual game records. Bong won the gold in Ladies Doubles with Lita de la Rosa and averaged 221 in Trios en route to an Individual All Events gold medal and became the South East Asian Games Masters champion.
Lydia de Vega
was acclaimed the Queen of SEAGames Athletics when she won the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter in record times.
Southeast Asian Games
The Southeast Asian Games , is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia...
were held in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
from December 6, 1981 to December 15, 1981. This was the first time that the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
hosted the Games since its first participation in 1977. The event was officially opened by President
President of the Philippines
The President of the Philippines is the head of state and head of government of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines...
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
and the cauldron was lit by Benjamin Silva-Netto. The colorful opening ceremony was held in the Rizal Memorial Stadium
Rizal Memorial Sports Complex
The Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, is national sports complex of the Philippines, located on Pablo Ocampo St. , Malate, Manila. It is named after the country's national hero, José Rizal....
in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. A new football stadium and indoor arena was built in Pasig
Pasig City
The City of Pasig is one of the city municipalities of Metro Manila in the Philippines and was the former capital of the province of Rizal prior to the formation of this grouping of cities designated as the National Capital Region...
named the University of Life Track & Field and Arena or the ULTRA, now called the PhilSports Arena
PhilSports Arena
The Philippine Institute of Sports Arena or PhilSports Arena is an indoor sporting arena located inside the PhilSports Complex in Pasig, Philippines. It was formerly known as the University of Life Training and Recreational Arena or the ULTRA. The arena and its surrounding sports complex are...
. The adjacent apartments were used as the athlete's quarters and was converted into a BLISS housing project of First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Imelda Marcos
Imelda Marcos
Imelda R. Marcos is a Filipino politician and widow of 10th Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. Upon the ascension of her husband to political power, she held various positions to the government until 1986...
. were the broadcast partner by MBS-4 was the officially broadcast country.
Medal count
| 1 |  Indonesia |
85 | 73 | 56 | 214 |
| 2 |  Thailand |
62 | 45 | 41 | 148 |
| 3 |  Philippines |
55 | 55 | 77 | 187 |
| 4 |  Malaysia |
16 | 27 | 31 | 74 |
| 5 |  Myanmar |
15 | 19 | 27 | 61 |
| 6 |  Singapore |
12 | 26 | 33 | 71 |
| 7 |  Brunei1 |
0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 245 | 245 | 265 | 755 | |
1Brunei was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colony at that time.
More than 2,200 athletes and officials participated in the Manila Games. Bong Coo emerged as its most successful Filipino campaigner. She won six medals in six events, four of which were gold medals where she set six individual game records. Bong won the gold in Ladies Doubles with Lita de la Rosa and averaged 221 in Trios en route to an Individual All Events gold medal and became the South East Asian Games Masters champion.
Lydia de Vega
Lydia de Vega
Lydia de Vega-Mercado is a former athlete from the Philippines, was considered Asia's fastest woman in the 1980s. As Asia's sprint queen, she ran away with the gold medal in the 100-meter dash in the 1982 New Delhi Asiad and duplicated the feat in the 1986 Seoul Asiad where she was clocked 11.53...
was acclaimed the Queen of SEAGames Athletics when she won the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter in record times.