1989 SEA Games
 | |
| Host city | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia |
|---|---|
| Motto | Now is the time (Malay: Kini Saatnya) |
| Nations | 9 |
| Events | 25 sports |
| Opening | 20 August 1989 |
| Closing | 31 August 1989 |
| Opened by | Azlan Shah Yang di-Pertuan Agong |
| Torch lighter | Sharuddin Ali[1] Sylvia Ng |
| Ceremony venue | Stadium Merdeka |
The 1989 Southeast Asian Games (Malay: Sukan Asia Tenggara 1989), officially known as the 15th Southeast Asian Games, were a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 20 to 31 August 1989 with 25 sports featured in the games.[2] It was officially opened by 9th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Azlan Shah. Although Cambodia did not participate, Laos returned to compete for the first time under the new federation name in this edition of the games, while Vietnam fields their own delegation to the event for the first time as a unified country.
The closing ceremony of this regional meet coincides with the 32nd anniversary of Malaysia's independence.[3] This was the fourth time that Malaysia played as hosts to these games, the country had previously hosted the event in 1965 and 1971, when the event was still known as the Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games at those times, and in 1977, in which this edition was the first to bear the games' present name, which reflects the admission of Brunei, Indonesia, and the Philippines to the Southeast Asian Games during that year.
The games was opened and closed by Sultan Azlan Shah, the King of Malaysia at the Stadium Merdeka. The final medal tally was led by Indonesia, followed by host Malaysia and Thailand.
Venues
[edit]| State/Terittory | Venue | Sports |
| Kuala Lumpur | Stadium Merdeka | Ceremonies, Athletics, Football (final) |
| Stadium Negara | Basketball, Badminton | |
| Bandar Tun Razak Stadium | Football | |
| Cheras Aquatic Centre | Swimming, Diving, Water polo | |
| Jalan Duta Tennis Complex | Tennis | |
| Kampo Hall | Bodybuilding, Weightlifting | |
| Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium | Badminton, Sepak takraw | |
| National Electric Board Sport Complex | Table tennis, Taekwondo | |
| Tun Razak Hockey Stadium | Field hockey | |
| University of Malaya Rugby Field | Archery | |
| Selangor | BSN Stadium Bangi | Football |
| Dewan Tun Abdul Razak UKM | Gymnastics | |
| Kelab Darul Ehsan | Fencing | |
| Kent Bowl Asiajaya | Bowling | |
| Petaling Jaya Civic Center | Judo | |
| Petronas Sport Complex Bangi | Karate, Pencak Silat | |
| Saujana Golf and Country Club | Golf | |
| Subang Shooting Range | Shooting | |
| Negeri Sembilan | Seremban Town Hall | Boxing |
| Perak | Velodrome Rakyat | Cycling (track) |
| Lumut Naval Base | Rowing (Traditional boat race) | |
| Indera Mulia Hall | Volleyball | |
| Pangkor Island | Sailing |
Marketing
[edit]Sponsors
[edit]Mascot
[edit]The official 1989 SEA Games mascot was an anthropomorphic turtle named Johan.
Logo
[edit]The logo for the Games features 6 elliptical rings alternately colored red and blue to form a shape that resembles a spinning top, or locally called gasing.[7]
Songs
[edit]"Reach for the sky" ("Kini Saatnya" in Malay) was the official theme song of the 1989 Southeast Asian Games. It was sung in English by Francissca Peter and in Malay by Jay Jay.
The games
[edit]Participating nations
[edit]Sports
[edit]
Aquatics ()
Archery ()
Athletics ()
Badminton ()
Basketball ()
Bodybuilding ()
Bowling ()
Boxing ()
Cycling ()
Fencing ()
Field hockey ()
Football ()
Golf ()
Judo ()
Karate ()
Pencak silat ()
Rowing ()
Sailing ()
Sepak takraw ()
Shooting ()
Table tennis ()
Taekwondo ()
Tennis ()
Volleyball ()
Weightlifting ()
Medal table
[edit]A total of 957 medals, comprising 303 Gold medals, 302 Silver medals and 352 Bronze medals were awarded to athletes. The host Malaysia's performance was their best ever yet in Southeast Asian Games History and were placed only second to Indonesia as overall champion.[8]
- Key
* Host nation (Malaysia)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Indonesia (INA) | 102 | 78 | 71 | 251 |
| 2 |  Malaysia (MAS)* | 67 | 58 | 75 | 200 |
| 3 |  Thailand (THA) | 62 | 63 | 66 | 191 |
| 4 |  Singapore (SIN) | 32 | 38 | 47 | 117 |
| 5 |  Philippines (PHI) | 26 | 37 | 64 | 127 |
| 6 |  Myanmar (MYA) | 10 | 14 | 20 | 44 |
| 7 |  Vietnam (VIE) | 3 | 11 | 5 | 19 |
| 8 |  Brunei (BRU) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| 9 |  Laos (LAO) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Totals (9 entries) | 303 | 302 | 352 | 957 | |
References
[edit]- ^ Yeo, Wilfred (21 August 1989). "Opening picture of splendour". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 December 2025.
- ^ "OCA » Kuala Lumpur 1989". ocasia.org. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
- ^ Percy Seneviratne (1993) Golden Moments: the S.E.A Games 1959-1991 Dominie Press, Singapore ISBN 981-00-4597-2
- ^ "Fencing shortened". The Straits Times. 21 August 1989. p. 29. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ^ "Today's Programme". The Straits Times. 22 August 1989. p. 26. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ^ "Today's Programme". The Straits Times. 25 August 1989. p. 37. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
- ^ Mario Alvaro Limos (2019) (4 October 2019). "The SEA Games Logos Through the Years". Esquire Philippines: Lifestyle, Culture, Politics, Women. Archived from the original on 5 October 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "1989 Southeast Asian Games medal table". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
External links
[edit]| SEAP Games |  | |
|---|---|---|
| SEA Games |
| |
1 Cancelled due to hosting issues and the Vietnam War. 2 Postponed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 3 Songkhla was removed from co-host due to the floods caused by Cyclone Senyar. | ||