Manila to host first-ever SEA Plus Youth Games in 2028 — POC

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) is laying the groundwork for what it hopes will become a long-term pipeline for Southeast Asia’s next generation of elite athletes, with plans to stage the inaugural Southeast Asian Plus Youth Games (SEA Plus YG) in Manila in 2028.

Designed as a high-level developmental meet, the proposed multi-sport event aims to bridge the gap between grassroots competition and major international tournaments such as the Asian Youth Games (AYG) and the Youth Olympic Games (YOG). 

The SEA Plus YG will feature athletes aged 17 and under and is set to be held at least a year before the AYG, ensuring regional athletes gain meaningful exposure and competitive experience ahead of continental and global stages.

POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino has taken the lead in conceptualizing and organizing the Games and will serve as its founding president. 

The initiative has already gained strong regional backing, with nine of the 11 National Olympic Committee (NOC) presidents from Southeast Asia—Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Timor Leste—signaling their support for the new competition.

“The SEA Plus YG is Southeast Asia’s answer to molding athletes at the grassroots level, make them competitive at the AYG level and able and capable of winning medals at the YOG,” Tolentino said.

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Designed for athletes aged 17 and under, the SEA Plus YG will be held at least a year before the AYG, offering a platform to strengthen grassroots talent and develop future Olympians. #ASEAN

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“Ultimately, the end goal is for these young athletes to have those strong foundations to contend at the Summer and Winter Olympics,” he added.

Beyond regional approval, the concept has also earned the endorsement of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Tolentino revealed that the OCA committed its full support during a meeting with founding members, attended by OCA Director General Dr. Husain AHZ Al-Musallam of Kuwait. The SEA Plus YG is planned as a biennial event to align with the AYG cycle, which is regarded as Asia’s second-largest multi-sport competition after the Asian Games.

The proposed program structure reflects the Games’ developmental focus: two mandatory sports, up to 12 Olympic sports, a maximum of five Asian non-Olympic sports, and one traditional sport featuring up to six medal events. The “Plus” element of the Games refers to the inclusion of at least one invited Asian NOC from outside Southeast Asia in every edition, a move aimed at raising competition levels and broadening cultural exchange.

“The SEA Plus YG is an elite-level, developmental and culturally unifying multi-sport event as we have stated in the games’ charter,” said Tolentino, who was cited by fellow NOC heads as the driving force who “initiated, guided and established the creation of SEA Plus YG.”

If realized as planned, the Manila-hosted inaugural edition in 2028 could position the Philippines at the center of a new regional effort to systematically prepare young athletes for Asia’s biggest stages—and eventually, the Olympic Games.

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