After 10 days, the Southeast Asian Games have finally concluded the sports event at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac. The closing ceremony was anticipated as much as the event's opening ceremony especially that Philippines will be awarded as the overall champion.
The program a few minutes after 6 pm, beginning with the national anthem sung by Filipino singer and Journey's vocalist, Arnel Pineda. This was followed by the parade of the delegates from the 11 participating countries of Southeast Asia. It's fun seeing them parade while waving their little flags as you can see how happy each of them were, especially the Philippine team.
After all the delegates were gathered on the field, Arnel Pineda with the K.O. Jones Band performed different songs of Journey, Queen, and more. The delegates enjoyed the performace but it is noticeable that Arnel's voice wasn't at it's best. It even trended on Twitter Philippines with people worrying and becoming anxious the longer Arnel performed on stage.
Next was the most awaited part of the ceremony, the awarding. The best male athelete was awarded to Singaporean swimmer Quah Zhen Wen while the best female athlete was awarded to Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien. Meanwhile, the fair play athlete award was given to Philippine surfer Roger Casugay. Roger gave up his chance to win a gold medal after saving an Indonesian surfer from drowning. The president of Indonesia even acknowledge his heroism.
A drone show illustrating in the sky the different sports came next. Really loved this part!
Next, a speech was given by the SEA Games officials congratulating everyone for the success of the event and officially announcing the closing of the 30th SEA Games and at the same time, officially announcing the turning over of the SEA Games flag to the next country host of the event, Vietnam. The cauldron was extinguished to declare that the 30th SEA Games is over.
The next host for the game, Vietnam, then showcased their culture to welcome everyone to their country on 2021.
Of course, the closing ceremony wouldn't be complete without a grand fireworks show. The sky lighted bright for a couple of minutes delighting everyone in the stadium and everyone watching from the screens.
Well, the fireworks weren't the only spectacular that night. The ceremony ended with the performance of popular international group, Black Eyed Peas. One of the members, Apl De Ap is a Filipino. Their new member, J Rey Soul (replacing Fergie), also has a Filipino blood. The whole crowd jammed to the classic and iconic songs of the group. They also introduced a new song.
The closing ceremony was kind of a victory party for everyone: officials, volunteers, athletes, the Philippines, and the rest of the Southeast Asian nations. 10 days of competition on 56 sports and it was a success. We've seen how hospitable Filipinos are and how our athletes value life over the coveted gold medal.
Truly, Lea Salonga was right:
"Yes, we compete but the greatest feat is when we win. We win as one."