NAYPYITAW — They are spanking new, and as alike as two peas in a pod. A visit to the Wunna Theikdi and Zeyar Thiri sports complexes, located about 35km apart in Myanmar’s capital of Naypyitaw, will be a surreal experience for SEA Games spectators next month.

Designed by a Chinese architectural firm and constructed by Max Myanmar, the facilities — stadium, indoor stadium A, B, C, swimming complex, indoor halls — are identical in design, structure and layout. Even the colour of the seats is the same.

Twenty six of the scheduled 33 sports for the Games will be contested in Naypyitaw, with the remaining events to be hosted in Yangon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung Beach. A sports university will be set up after the SEA Games to ensure that the facilities are utilised after the event ends on Dec 22.

The two sports complexes reflected the cookie-cutter structure of Naypyitaw, where urban planners made sure everything was organised and neat. Located over 300km from the hustle and bustle of Yangon, Naypyitaw boasts six-lane highways with little traffic, new shopping malls, two hotel zones, a ministry zone, colour-coded residential areas and even a replica of Yangon’s famous Shwedagon Pagoda.

Officially declared the country’s capital in 2005, Naypyitaw is currently listed as the third-largest city after Yangon and Mandalay, with a population of over 900,000.

Wunnu Theikdi:

Stadium (30,000 capacity): opening & closing ceremony, athletics

Indoor stadium A, B, C (3,000, 5,000, 3,000): sepak takraw, chinlone, wushu, karate, taekwondo, badminton, table tennis

Swimming complex (2,500): swimming, diving

Indoor halls (3,000): billiards, futsal, boxing, muay

Other sports: cycling, archery, equestrian

Zeyar Thiri:

Stadium: football

Indoor stadium A, B, C: volleyball, basketball, judo, silat, vovinam

Swimming complex: waterpolo

Mount Pleasant: cycling

Ngalike Dam: canoeing, rowing, dragonboat

Zabuthiri Hotel: chess

Royal Myanmar Golf Course: golf

Athletes’ Village:

Size: 400 acres

Location: 10 min drive from the Games venues

Housing: 10 clusters, with 10 buildings in each cluster (apartment blocks, offices, dining hall)

Rooms: Six beds, two toilets, kitchenette, living room, lockers, air-conditioning

Social zone: Karaoke room, mini-market, billiards room, dry-cleaning, money changer, souvenir shop, florist, photo store, beauty salon, massage room, restaurants