The National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOC Sri Lanka) has confirmed that Sri Lanka will participate in the inaugural SEA Plus Youth Games, following a special invitation extended to selected Asian nations.
The announcement comes after Abraham Bambol Tolentino, President of the Philippine Olympic Committee, officially unveiled the new regional multi sport event in Manila, Philippines on March 9. The Philippines will host the inaugural edition of the Games from 2 to 14 December 2027.
The SEA Plus Youth Games will bring together young athletes from the 11 Southeast Asian nations, along with 12 invited Asian countries, creating a new competitive platform aimed at developing emerging sporting talent in the region.
In addition to the host Philippines, participating countries from the region are expected to include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.
The “plus” component of the Games refers to Asian countries outside Southeast Asia that have been invited to compete in the inaugural edition. These invited nations include Bahrain, Bhutan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Turkmenistan.
President of National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, Suresh Subramaniam, welcomed the invitation extended to Sri Lanka and confirmed the country’s participation.
“Regardless of not being one of the South East Asian nations who are a part of the SEA Games, Sri Lanka received a special invitation for our athletes due to the strong friendship between our Olympic committees. We are pleased to accept this opportunity for our young athletes,” he said.
The SEA Plus Youth Games aims to provide young athletes with greater international exposure and a competitive pathway in the lead up to major youth sporting events such as the Asian Youth Games and the Youth Olympic Games.
Speaking at the launch, Tolentino highlighted that the new event will help bridge an important competitive gap for young athletes by providing an additional stage to test their development against strong regional opponents before progressing to larger continental and global competitions.
With Sri Lanka’s participation confirmed, the Games are expected to offer valuable international experience for the country’s emerging athletes while further strengthening sporting ties within Asia.
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