The Philippines has officially unveiled its most ambitious youth sports project to date, launching the Southeast Asian Plus Youth Games (SEAPYG) in an elaborate ceremony last Saturday, July 11.

The event set the stage for a sprawling 23-sport competition. Set for December 2027, the first-of-its-kind games will give young athletes across Asia a clear pathway toward the Olympic Movement — with the Philippines standing front and center as host nation.

Tolentino Frames Games as Missing Link to Olympic Dreams

The launch, held at the Solaire Resort in Parañaque City, saw SEAPYG founding president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino outline the driving purpose behind the new competition.

“Where do our [young] athletes go to grow?” Tolentino asked the assembled delegates. “Between the playgrounds where dreams are born and the grand arenas of the Asian Youth Games and Youth Olympic Games lies a gap our region needs to bridge.”

He described SEAPYG as the solution to that long-standing void. “The SEA Plus Youth Games is our answer — built by Southeast Asia and open to the wider Asian family, it is dedicated entirely to athletes 16 years old and younger who represent the future of the Olympic Movement,” Tolentino said.

Officials from the National Olympic Committees and embassies of 15 nations attended the launch of the inaugural games. The Philippines will host the event across Manila, Pasig City, Tagaytay City and Subic from December 2 to 14, 2027.

Ramon “Tats” Suzara, president and CEO of the Local Organizing Committee, confirmed that athletes from 28 countries — 11 from Southeast Asia and 17 from the rest of the continent — are set to compete across 23 sports spread over four host clusters.

23-Sport Lineup Set to Meet International Standards

Suzara emphasized that the scale of the games was designed with global competitiveness in mind.

“With 23 sports and four clusters, we will be able to be at par with international standards in different sports,” he said.

He added that hosting also serves a strategic purpose: maximizing the use of the Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) existing facilities. “This is one of the strong agreements with President Bambol and [PSC] chairman [Patrick] Pato Gregorio,” Suzara noted.

The day’s festivities kicked off with the games’ first Executive Council Meeting. That was followed by a delegates’ tour of major venues, including the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex and the SMX Convention Center for International Trade and Exhibitions (SMXCITE).

Proceedings closed with a gala dinner and cultural showcase. Delegates from Qatar, Chinese Taipei, Bhutan, Japan, Kuwait, Nepal, the Maldives, Malaysia, Macau, Kyrgyzstan, Bahrain, DPR Korea, India, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Turkmenistan were in attendance.

The SEAPYG sports program includes mandatory events in athletics and swimming, along with 12 Olympic sports, five non-Olympic sports and one traditional sport, plus para athletics and para swimming.

The full roster features arnis, taekwondo, judo, billiards, dancesport, fencing, jiu-jitsu, karate, mixed martial arts and wrestling at SMXCITE. Basketball (3×3 and 5×5), aquatics and athletics will take place at the PhilSports Complex, while boxing, tennis and gymnastics head to RMSC. Tagaytay City will host golf, speed cubing and skateboarding, and Subic will stage the triathlon.

With the countdown to December 2027 now underway, the Philippines is betting big that SEAPYG will become a lasting fixture on Asia’s youth sports calendar — and a launching pad for the region’s next wave of Olympic talent.