THRILLED ABOUT THAI BOW

Maeder keen to savour maiden SEA Games experience; bowling, shooting make return

- Melvyn Teoh

Olympic bronze medallist Maximilian Maeder is set to make his SEA Games debut in Thailand in December, with kitefoiling included as part of the programme for the biennial event.

According to media reports, the SEA Games Federation has confirmed a list of 56 sports and 569 events for the Dec 9-20 Games, which will be held in Bangkok, Chonburi and Songkhla.

Kitefoiling will be part of the sailing programme for the first time, while sports like shooting, baseball and softball, netball, bowling, and sport climbing are making a return after a hiatus.

New formats of traditional sports like hockey and baseball have also been included - five-a-side versions (hockey 5s and baseball 5s) - and others like teqball and woodball will make their debuts.

Teqball, which was a demonstration sport at the 2023 edition, is a ball sport played on a curved table that combines elements of sepak takraw and table tennis, while woodball is played with a wooden mallet and wooden balls and is similar to putting in golf.

Three additional demonstration sports - air sports (paragliding and paramotor), flying disc (disc golf, ultimate) and tug of war - will also feature.

Results from these sports will not count to the overall medal tally.