Sporting showcase

Sporting showcase

* Brunei, Cambodia, Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and host the Philippines will compete in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games * 441 gold medals are up for grabs in 41 events from Nov. 27 to Dec. 5 * An estimated 5,336 athletes will compete, with the largest contingents from the host country (892), Thailand (780) and Indonesia (779) * The smallest contingent is Timor Leste, making its debut in the Games with 29 athletes * The Games were first held in Thailand in 1959; they were known as the Southeast Asian Peninsula Games until 1975 * Indonesia and Thailand are tied for the most overall medal wins at the Games with nine each. The only other winners have been Myanmar, which won twice in 1961 and 1969, and Malaysia (2001) and Vietnam (2003) * Home court advantage? The host country has triumphed in the overall medal standings in four of the last five Games * Thailand is set to host the Games again in 2007

AFP; other sources