ISU President Jae Youl Kim attended the exciting Figure Skating and Short Track competitions at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, 9-20 December. The event showcased the growing pool of emerging ice skating talent in Southeast Asia (SEA).

“The Southeast Asian Games showcased the remarkable progress of Figure Skating and Short Track in this region,” said ISU President Jae Youl Kim. “Seeing these talented young athletes compete at such a high level confirms that ice skating has a very bright future in Southeast Asia, and the ISU is committed to supporting and sustaining this exciting growth."

Figure Skating: Regional stars emerge

A total of 17 competitors – nine Women and eight Men - from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam participated in the Figure Skating event. Juniors and seniors competed together at the SEA Games after the ISU Council authorized this format for this event only.

Ze Zeng Fang (MAS) competes at the SEA Games in Bangkok (THA)

In the Men’s Figure Skating, Malaysian Figure Skater Ze Zeng FANG took the lead in the Short Program skating to “Finesse” and “Uptown Funk”, before the ISU Four Continents competitor confirmed his place at the top of the leaderboard to claim gold in the Men’s event with his Free Skating program to the soundtrack to “Funny Valentine” and “Feeling Good”. He scored a total score of 157.22 points. 

Fang is an accomplished international competitor, having represented Malaysia at the ISU Junior Grand Prix, ISU World Junior Championships, ISU Four Continents Championships and other international events since 2019. 

Performing to “Hit the Road Jack” in the Short Program and “People Help the People” in the Free Skating, up and coming  Phattaratida Kaneshige claimed the Women’s gold, a first for Thailand at the SEA Games. She scored 150.74 points. 

 Phattaratida Kaneshige (THA) skated to victory on home ice at the SEA Games in Bangkok (THA)

Short Track: Thailand dominates on home ice

The Short Track competition featured events in the 500m and 1500m for Men and Women as well as 3000m Relay for Women and 5000m Relay for Men. 

Thailand came out strong on home ice with Thanutchaya Chatthaisong and Chonlachart Taprom taking the Women’s and Men’s 1500m golds. Chatthaisong went on to skate to the 500m gold as well, while Peter Joseph Groseclose of the Philippines won the Men’s 500m. Thailand struck gold again in  both relays.

Building on momentum

Bangkok has previously hosted ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating events as well as the Asian Trophy, reflecting the sports’ growing popularity and an expanding fan base in the region.

The Southeast Asian Games, a biennial multi-sport celebration, brought together 50 Olympic and non-Olympic sports in 2025, ranging from Aquatics to Wushu. Among them, Figure Skating, Short Track, and Ice Hockey stood out as the only winter sports featured at this year’s Games, highlighting their rising profile in Southeast Asia.