The Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games) start next week!

Next week the Southeast Asia Games begin and Singapore is expected to dominate. I am assuming tech-suits will be allowable and any WR records set there; though unlikely, could spur massive interest in swimming on that side of the continent.

From Wikipedia:

The Southeast Asian Games (also known as the SEA Games), is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games is under regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia. [...] The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote cooperation, understanding and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian region.

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Here is an article regarding Singapore's preparation for the games and what challenges they face.

From Channel News Asia:

"... However, Singapore will face tough competition again from the Philippines - in particular Ryan Arabejo and Miguel Molina, the 2007 SEA Games' top male athletes with four golds.

In July, Arabejo, the defending 200m backstroke and 1,500m freestyle champion, clocked 3min 57.25sec in the 400m freestyle at the USA Swimming Speedo Championship series in Florida, surpassing the SEA Games record of 3:57.34 set by Thailand's Torlarp Sethosothon in 1995.

But Yeo, the winningest athlete in SEA Games history with 40 gold medals in eight appearances from 1991 to 2005, offered words of encouragement for Singapore's current swim team.

"Trust the training you've done, focus on what you can control, ebb and flow with situations and things beyond your control," she said. "Most of all, have fun."

On Sunday, 19 of the Republic's 23-strong swim team - which includes the likes of Beijing Olympics women's 100m butterfly finalist Tao Li and top Asian Youth Games female athlete Quah Ting Wen - left for the week-long training camp at the Phuket British International School..."

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