Opening ceremony of SEA Games set for Thursday

After a 6-month hiatus, the Southeast Asian Games, or SEA Games, is now set to kick off on Thursday in Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city. The sports tournament, which takes place every 2 years, attracts thousands of athletes from South East Asian countries, who will compete for over 500 gold medals.

The SEA Games are under the regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Council of Asia.

Classic Olympic sports like running, swimming, and boxing, as well as regional sports, are included in the competition. This year’s event will be the first to include xiangqi, or Chinese chess, which is incredibly popular in Vietnam. The Vietnamese martial art vovinam will also make a comeback.

The host usually adds sports in which they thrive, allowing them to win several gold medals. However, it draws some criticism…