The 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games officially kicked off in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with an opening ceremony at a newly built stadium paid for by China. More than 10,000 athletes and officials from 11 member countries are participating in the biennial tournament, which is offering a total of 584 gold medals across 38 sports including native martial arts, chess, finswimming, teqball, and cricket. Thailand is hoping to regain the overall crown with 164 gold medals, followed by Cambodia and Vietnam. Cambodia is hosting the Games for the first time, and hopes to promote sports and boost tourism in the country. Hun Sen’s government wants to showcase the country’s stability and has gone all-out in generating local fervour, such as giving away tickets for free and closing schools and universities for a month so students can attend the Games. However, controversy has already ensued with rival nations, such as Thailand boycotting Cambodia’s Kun Khmer, stating that it is their Muay Thai which was removed by the hosts.