By 16h50 on Friday, 19/12, the official website showed Thailand had secured 210 gold medals, 139 silver, and 99 bronze. This achievement makes them the delegation with the most gold medals in a single SEA Games event. The previous record was held by Vietnam at SEA Games 31, with 205 gold medals, 125 silver, and 116 bronze.

With a total of 448 medals, Thailand also surpassed Vietnam's record of 446 medals from the 31st Games.

SEA Games 33 medal tally as of 16h50 on 19/12. Photo: *Screenshot*

One reason for Thailand breaking this record is the significantly higher number of medal events and sports at SEA Games 33 compared to the 31st Games. In 2022, Vietnam hosted 523 events across 40 sports. This year, Thailand introduced 574 medal events in 50 sports. Thailand's initial goal was to break Vietnam's record, and they successfully achieved it.

Thailand's most successful sport was ju-jitsu, securing 14 gold medals, followed by athletics (13), muay (11), canoeing, and taekwondo (10 each). However, the host nation only won a bronze medal in women's football and a silver medal in men's football.

At SEA Games 31, the sports that brought Vietnam the most gold medals were athletics (22), wrestling (17), swimming (11), diving, and wushu (10 each). At that time, the delegation claimed both gold medals in men's and women's football.

Thailand receives gold medals after defeating Vietnam in the women's volleyball final at SEA Games 33, held at Huamark Arena, Bangkok, Thailand, on the evening of 15/12. Photo: *Duc Dong*

Thailand's organization of this year's Games has faced several controversies. For example, in boxing, Nesthy Petecio, the Olympic Tokyo 2020 silver medalist, claimed she was unfairly treated after losing to an Indonesian boxer in the women's 63kg semi-final, suggesting the results were biased in favor of host Thailand.

On social media, the Filipino boxer wrote: "Just hand the gold medal to Thailand, why even compete?"

Ricky Vargas, President of the Philippine Boxing Federation, stated that a formal complaint had been filed, demanding clarification from the Organizing Committee regarding refereeing and scoring. Similar complaints also arose in taekwondo's Poomsae events on 10/12, and in pencak silat's combat categories. Suspicions of medal allocation also emerged in Muay Thai.

SEA Games 33 will conclude tomorrow, 20/12, with the final three sets of medals awarded in long-distance swimming and sepak takraw. The closing ceremony will take place at 19h on the same evening.

Xuan Binh