Vietnam faces major medal losses as SEA Games 34 drops key sports

The Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) approved the final programme on October 30. The 34th SEA Games will take place from September 18 to 29, 2027, across four venues - Kuala Lumpur, Sarawak, Penang and Johor.

The approved programme contains 100 fewer medal events than the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand. According to Vietnamese media reports, the reduction affects not only entire sports but also individual events in disciplines that remain on the programme.

Eight sports removed, 24 gold medals affected

Wrestling is the most significant omission for Vietnam. The country won 10 gold medals in the sport at the 2025 Games, making it one of the delegation’s strongest medal contributors. 

However, wrestling will not feature in Malaysia, leaving Vietnamese wrestlers without an opportunity to defend their titles.

The three rowing disciplines have also been excluded. Vietnam won four gold medals in rowing, two in canoeing and two in traditional boat racing at the previous Games.

Four other sports — kickboxing, jujitsu, chess and handball — have also been dropped. Together, the eight excluded sports accounted for 24 of Vietnam’s 87 gold medals in Thailand, or around 27.6% of its previous gold-medal total.

The impact extends beyond these sports. Several individual events in disciplines that remain on the programme have also been removed, bringing the estimated number of gold medals Vietnam can no longer defend to around 30. This is an estimate of lost opportunities rather than a prediction of Vietnam’s final medal tally.

Event cuts affect athletics, shooting and other disciplines

Women’s futsal, where Vietnam won their first SEA Games title in 2025, will not be contested in Malaysia. The mixed 4x400-metre relay has also been dropped, despite Vietnam winning gold and setting a Games record in Thailand.

In wushu, only taolu, the performance discipline, will be included; sanda, the combat discipline in which Vietnam won two gold medals, is excluded. Fencing will no longer feature the men’s épée event, removing an opportunity for Nguyen Phuoc Den to defend his individual title. 

Four team events in shooting have also been cut, including the women’s 10-metre air pistol and 25-metre sport pistol team, in which Trinh Thu Vinh and her teammates previously won gold.

The changes are particularly notable because wrestling, rowing and canoeing are Olympic sports. Their exclusion presents an additional challenge for Vietnam in balancing regional medal ambitions with the development of athletes competing in disciplines relevant to higher-level international competition.

Five additional sports approved

The final programme also includes five sports approved following appeals - padel, dancesport, teqball, ice hockey and kabaddi. The Olympic Council of Malaysia said the decision followed discussions involving the Malaysian organising committee and SEAGF representatives.

Malaysia’s Olympic Council deputy president Nur Azmi Ahmad said the final list had been agreed by the participating national Olympic committees, with no further additions planned.

For Vietnam, the immediate task will be to reassess its medal strategy and preparation plans in light of the revised programme. The absence of several established gold-medal sources means the delegation will need to pursue its targets across the sports and events that remain.

The upcoming Games will feature seven fewer sports and 100 fewer medal events than SEA Games 33, held in Thailand in 2025.

Meanwhile, padel, a racket sport combining elements of tennis and squash, and dancesport are among the disciplines included following a review of proposals to add five sports since July.

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