The Philippines placed sixth overall at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, which ran from Dec. 9 to 20, 2024, as Filipino athletes collected 50 gold, 73 silver, and 153 bronze medals for a total of 276 podium finishes in the 10-nation competition.
Organizers held the closing ceremony in Thailand on Saturday evening as hosts confirmed that Cambodia withdrew from the Games at the last minute due to its border conflict with Thailand.
The Philippines dropped one notch from its fifth-place finish in the previous SEA Games in Cambodia, where Filipino athletes tallied 58 gold, 86 silver, and 116 bronze medals.
Singapore, which finished sixth in the Cambodia Games, moved up to fifth place in Thailand with 52 gold, 61 silver, and 87 bronze medals for a total of 200.
The Philippines finished two gold medals behind Singapore in the overall gold tally, despite a nine-gold surge on Friday, the penultimate day of competition.
Host nation Thailand secured the overall championship with 232 gold, 154 silver, and 108 bronze medals for a total of 494, topping the medal table in the regional meet.
Indonesia finished second overall with 91 gold, 111 silver, and 130 bronze medals for a total of 332, as officials from the Indonesian contingent confirmed their final standing after the last events.
Vietnam ranked third with 276 total medals built on 87 gold, 79 silver, and 110 bronze finishes, while Malaysia placed fourth with 56 gold, 57 silver, and 117 bronze medals for a 230 total.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Patrick Gregorio said on Saturday that he considered the country’s overall performance satisfactory, citing gold-medal wins in events that draw strong public interest in the Philippines.
Gregorio said Gilas Pilipinas captured gold medals in both the men’s and women’s 5-on-5 basketball tournaments, which he identified as priority events for Filipino fans.
