After a year of postponement, the 2021 Southeast Asian Games finally took place, much to the delight (and relief) of athletes across the region. As all eyes turned to the participants and people at home watched with bated breath, Twitter was where people went to find out #WhatsHappening in #SEAGames2021 in real time, while cheering for their local athletes and national teams, and connecting with other like-minded sports enthusiasts.
From swimming and fencing, to esports and chess, people in Southeast Asia sure had a lot to talk about on Twitter as their representatives competed in Hanoi. Hashtags such as #SEAGames2021, #DemiMalaysia , and #SemarakJuara were the go-to places for people to get live updates on-ground, and in fact, from 12 May to 23 May, 2022 alone, there were more than 33 Million Tweets globally around #SEAGames2021, with Tweets from Malaysia making up 11% of the total conversation in Southeast Asia.
During the #SEAGames2021, Malaysians cheered on their sporting heroes and celebrated all medals won, including 39 gold medals. With more than 500 Malaysian athletes competing for glory at the #SEAGames2021, the country has set its bar high for its national athletes. Malaysians of all races united on Twitter as they connected and cheered on their national athletes with words of encouragement and support regardless of the outcome.
Here’s what people in Malaysia talked about during #SEAGames2021 on Twitter:
*GOLD! Tang Jie-Yen Wei ends the country’s 23-year wait for the elusive mixed doubles gold by overcoming teammates, Pang Ron-Yee See in an all-Malaysian finals. Tahniah! Anda kebanggaan kita semua🥇🥈🇲🇾
— BAM (@BA_Malaysia) May 22, 2022
Malaysians come together to cheer on national badminton mixed doubles pairing as the nation’s athletes capture the first ever gold medal for Malaysia in 23 years for this badminton event.
What a come back from Peck Yen Wei/Chen Tang Jie! To the final we go wohooo!!! 🇲🇾💪🏼@ASTROARENA #SEAGames31 #SemarakJuara #SokongMalaysia pic.twitter.com/QKMUCvnWWr
— Fariha Razak (@FarihaPattinson) May 21, 2022
focus kat match ❌ focus kat supporters ✅ #SEAGames2021 pic.twitter.com/UmPmWZ1nl7
— qilahh._ (@nurulaqilaahh) May 17, 2022
Even during tense matches, Malaysian always found amusing ways to have fun and create a light-hearted conversations on Twitter around #SEAGames 2021.
Lee Shun Yang looks like a promising player for the men’s singles sector for malaysia 💪🏻💪🏻
— Panda 🇲🇾🏸 (@vvsleepypanda) May 16, 2022
#SEAGames2021
#SEAGames2021 may be over, but sports conversations will always live on, whether it’s the football match you caught, or the hope for future greats among Malaysian sports individuals.
Pingat emas ke-36 kontinjen negara di Sukan SEA Hanoi hadir menerusi Karate Kumite Berpasukan Lelaki @ASTROARENA pic.twitter.com/cSczJM50cj
— karlnunis (@_karlnunis) May 20, 2022
No matter what the outcome of #SEAGames2021 is, Twitter was the roar of the stadium where people cheered, celebrated, and expressed their disappointment. Sports fans on Twitter in Southeast Asia were closer than ever during these enthralling moments with Twitter features that allowed them to stay in loop with the real-time results and helped connect them with their favourite sport communities from wherever they were.
Tahniah!!! Kontinjen Malaysia #DemiMalaysia #SeaMalaysia #SasaranTercapai pic.twitter.com/cwvbJ64SJc
— #TeamMALAYSIA (@AtletMalaysia) May 20, 2022
For instance, Twitter Topics helped fans easily find the conversations that mattered most to them - be it a track & field athlete, badminton team, or even the diving queen.
The sporting community on Twitter is so diverse, there’s something for everyone to enjoy and share. So while competitions and tournaments make a gradual comeback; on Twitter, the cheers never end.
