With both parties seeking to unlock the potential of this event for national athletes and the economy.
On Monday, March 9, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) have formally unveiled the first-ever South East Asian Plus Youth Games (SEA Plus YG), which will be hosted in Manila in 2027.
A brainchild of POC President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino, it is the region’s newest multi-sport event that will feature young athletes from 11 Southeast Asian nations alongside 12 invited countries across West, Central, South, and East Asia.
“Our aim here is to provide a new avenue for our young athletes to gain better exposure in their bids to dominate ASEAN, Asian, and hopefully world events in the future,” said Tolentino.
He added, “Before, our young athletes only had the Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy to compete in, then they go immediately to the Asian Youth Games. The SEA Plus YG fills the void in between so we can better prepare them.”
Tolentino also said that through the program, Filipino youth can better gauge their development while accessing higher-level competition.
The SEA Plus YG will be set up as a precursor to the Asian Youth Games and the Youth Olympic Games.
“This is my gift to Philippine sports and our young, talented athletes,” he added.
For his part, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Patrick Gregorio expressed full support for the event and shared that this will strengthen the country’s positioning as a premier sports tourism destination and elevate the competitiveness of Filipino grassroots athletes.
Scheduled from December 2-14, 2027, the tournament is seen to bring together thousands of young SEA athletes and a high influx of visitors, the PSC noted.
“It’s an excellent idea for the development of the country’s grassroots. Mag-aalign ito sa Palarong Pambansa and Batang Pinoy. It’s also a perfect event for what we have been promoting from the start—sports tourism,” noted Gregorio.
The PSC also said that the new regional games happens to align with the harmonization of the country’s premier grassroots competitions like the Batang Pinoy and Palarong Pambansa, as well as the creation of the National Youth Training Pool.
With the event, the two parties have signaled the country’s start of hosting preparations.
They are setting their sights on staging 20 sports across major venues including the New Clark City Athletics Stadium and New Clark City Aquatics Center in Tarlac, the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, the SMX Convention Center Manila in Pasay, and the Subic Bay Freeport Zone in Zambales, among others.
