New hope or distraction?

For decades, the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games has been a unifying force — a multi-sport tournament held every two years with the goal of fostering friendship, camaraderie and sportsmanship among 11 countries in the region.

Lately, however, the event has not been serving its purpose.

In the last staging of the SEA Games in Thailand, for instance, numerous reports of cheating and manipulation by the host country surfaced. It had gotten so bad that a Malaysian athlete attacked a game official over the outcome of her pencak silat match.

The Filipinos were not spared. No less than Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino had to intervene to make sure the winning Filipino athletes, including Olympian Aleah Finnegan of gymnastics, were awarded their gold medals.

In short, the SEA Games is no longer the friendly meet it used to be. It has become an expensive showpiece for the host country, whose athletes are given advantages so they can haul in tons of gold medals to boost their national pride and compensate for the lavish amount their government spent to host the Games.

The ineffectuality of the SEA Games is also reflected in the medal tally in the Olympics.

In the previous Summer Games in Paris, in fact, the entire SEA region bagged only five gold medals — two of them by Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo, two by Indonesia and one by Thailand. So, compared to other regions, Southeast Asia is really lagging behind.

That’s why it wasn’t surprising a ranking Indonesian sports official raised the idea of a SEA Games Plus — similar to the regular SEA Games but with more focus on Olympic sports and the participation of powerhouse countries outside the region like Australia and New Zealand.

Based on the blueprint of Indonesia National Olympic Committee president Raja Sapta Oktohari, the SEA Games Plus will be the solution to the region’s flickering chances in the Summer Olympics. By holding another multi-sport event participated in by strong outsiders, regional athletes will set a higher goal and focus on sports that are played in the Summer Games.

The Philippines is being eyed as the host of the SEA Games Plus to be held in 2028 — a year after Malaysia hosts the 34th edition of the regular SEA Games in 2027.

But is holding super games really the solution? Or will it just distract the Southeast Asian athletes and shatter their morale as they march into the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028?

Look, staging yet another event like the SEA Games Plus could only do more harm than good. Expanding the current SEA Games calendar is not the solution, but is a distraction for regional athletes, especially those from smaller countries like Myanmar, Brunei, Cambodia and East Timor.

By holding the SEA Games Plus that includes athletes from bigger, wealthier countries, Southeast Asian bets will only get dominated and their morale will get crushed without making any real progress and development in the major international events.

Instead of having an expanded regional tourney, the SEA Games Federation Council should strengthen the SEA Games program by putting more emphasis on Category 1 sports — the Olympic sports — while enforcing tighter officiating to make sure the results are accurate and credible.

No matter how good it looks on paper, let’s admit the SEA Games Plus is not a magic pill. If Southeast Asian sports leaders really want to raise the level of play in the region, they must create a broader ecosystem that includes better coaching, targeted funding, international exposure beyond the region and athlete-centered support systems. Without these, the SEA Games Plus concept risks becoming just another event on the calendar — loud and prestigious, yet not really moving the needle on the region’s Olympic ambitions.

But if done right, the SEA Games Plus can enhance morale by giving young athletes pathways and goals that matter on bigger stages. If done poorly, it could simply add pressure without promise.

The difference will be in its thoughtful execution and in ensuring that this is a complement — not a substitute — to meaningful investment in the athletes’ development. It should serve as renewed hope for regional athletes, not a distraction that could lead to their downfall.