The athletics competition at the 1983 SEA Games was held at the National Stadium, Singapore.
| 100 m |  Suchart Jairsuraparp | 10.59 |  Mohamed Purnomo | 10.62 | Sumet Promna | 10.67 | |
| 200 m | Sumet Promna | 21.62 |  Haron Mundir | 21.76 | Mohamed Purnomo | 21.82 | |
| 400 m |  Isidro del Prado | 46.40 |  Nordin Mohamed Jadi | 47.47 sec | Jumpapao Sanu | 47.99 | |
| 800 m | Batulamai Rajakumar | 1:49.31 | Pen Kraiket | 1:49.80 | Nordin Mohamed Jadi | 1:50.95 | |
| 1500 m | Batulamai Rajakumar | 3:50.13 |  Shwe Aung | 3:50.79 | Nestor Trampe | 3:54.70 | |
| 5000 m | Maung Hla | 14:46.49 | Aung Soe Khiang | 14:47.83 | David Carmelo | 14:51.07 | |
| 10,000 m | Leonardo Illut | 31:57.42 | Aung Soe Khiang | 32:11.35 | Jagtar Singh | 32:44.55 | |
| Marathon | Soe Khin | 2:32:51 | Jimmy De la Torre | 2:36:57 | Ali Sofyan Siregar | 2:38:23 | |
| 110 m hurdles | Hero Prayogo | 14.75 | Renato Usno | 14.76 | Hanafiah Nasir | 14.93 | |
| 400 m hurdles | Renato Usno | 51.26 | Jaime Grafilo | 51.87 | Elisa Tanata | 52.45 | |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Hector Begeo | 8:57.50 | Maung Hla | 9:05.58 | D. Selvarajoo | 9:35.99 | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | Thailand Somsak Boontud Suchart Jairsuraparp Prasit Boon Prasert Sumet Promna | 39.78 | Indonesia Mohammed Purnomo Yulius Affar Kardiono I Wayan Budi Astra | 40.58 | Singapore Haron Mundir Ong Yeok Phee Alan Koh Tang Ngai Kin | 41.17 | |
| 4 × 400 m relay | Thailand Nipon Boonchern Pin Kraiket Jumpapao Sanuk Sumet Promna | 3:10.29 | Malaysia Joseph Phan Silvadurai Subramaniam Batulamai Rajakumar Nordin Mohamed Jadi | 3:11.60 | Indonesia Herman Mandagi Mathias Mamby I Wayan Budi Astra Elisa Tanate | 3:14.30 | |
| 10 km walk | Ferry Apparoa | 46:03.19 | Vellasamy Subramaniam | 46:34.80 | R. Nadarajan | 47:24.01 | |
| 20 km walk | Ferry Apparoa | 1:37:51.70 | Vellasamy Subramaniam | 1:38:10.24 | R. Nadarajan | 1:40:39.30 | |
| Pole vault | Chamberlain Gonzales | 4.20 m | Kanop Ratajumnong | 4.10 | Dario De Rosas | 4.00 | |
| High jump | Ramjit Nairulal | 2.13 m | Beng Tong Eng | 2.04 | Artnell Icocanoo | 1.99 | |
| Long jump | Marwoto | 7.39 m | Ahmad Mazlan | 7.24 | Ng Yee Meng | 7.20 | |
| Triple jump | Sungworn Thaveechalermdit | 15.37 m | Felicito Descutido | 14.91 | Sulaiman Batek | 14.90 | |
| Shot put | Bancha Supanroj | 14.68 | Herman Dambuyai | 14.00 | Susano Erang | 13.93 | |
| Discus throw | Ardol Kerdsri | 45.68 m | Suhadi Musiri | 44.42 | Hanokbaransang | 44.30 | |
| Hammer throw | Danila Jarina | 48.80 m | Samret Singh Dhalival | 47.56 | Budi Dharma | 44.26 | |
| Javelin throw | Balang Lasung | 67.32 | Inocencio Maquiling | 66.52 | Frans Mahuse | 64.42 | |
| Decathlon | Hanapiah Nasir | 6890 pts | Thavorn Phanroeng | Andry Rosale | |||
| 100 m | Walapa Tangjitsusorn | 11.75 | Lydia de Vega | 11.78 | Jaree Patthaarath | 11.87 | |
| 200 m | Lydia de Vega | 24.26 | Walapa Tangjitsusorn | 24.46 | Jaree Patthaarath | 24.55 | |
| 400 m | Emma Tahapari | 55.34 | Thin Thin Maw | 55.77 | Usha Chanaphant | 55.80 | |
| 800 m | Lucena Alam | 2:13.45 | Josephine Mary Singarayar | 2:16.69 | Mary Manuhuttu | 2:17.32 | |
| 1500 m | Mar Mar Min | 4:26.73 | Khin Khin Htwe | 4:28.58 | Margarita Tagun | 4:37.47 | |
| 3000 m | Mar Mar Min | 9:30.31 | Khin Khin Htwe | 9:42.48 | Kandasamy Jayamani | 10:03.32 | |
| Marathon | Kandasamy Jayamani | 3:02:46 | Yupin Lohachart | 3:04:23 | Mar Mar Min | 3:11:01 | |
| 100 m hurdles | Agrippina de la Cruz | 14.90 | New New Yee | 14.97 | San San Aye | 15.13 | |
| 400 m hurdles | Agrippina de la Cruz | 61.43 | Susana Arangote | 61.60 | Eklevia Rumayao | 61.94 | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | Thailand Pusadee Sangvijit Walapa Tangjitnusorn Jaree Patthaarath Wanna Popirom | 45.50 | Malaysia Can Swee Hua Vengadasalam Angamah Saik Oik Cum Harbans Kaur | 46.76 | Philippines Perla Balatucan Lorena Morcilla Salve Cambonga Elma Muros | 47.13 | |
| 4 × 400 m relay | Thailand Usa Chanaphani Walapa Tangjitnusorn Jaree Patthaarath Reim Sriteingtrong | 3:42.33 | Philippines Lucena Alam Perla Balatucan Agrippina de la Cruz Lydia De Vega | 3:46.15 | Malaysia Zaiton Othman Josephine Mary Singarayar Rasarathinan Selvarani Vengadasalam Angamah | 3:49.45 | |
| 5 km walk | Win Win | 24:42.75 | Iece Magdalena | 26:04.75 | Paramasavik Sakthirani | 27:04.72 | |
| 10 km walk | Su Su Yee | 55:03.20 | Margaret Tan | 55:41.7 | Cheah Bee Tin | 55:54.00 | |
| High jump | Vannipa Yeepracha | 1.77 m | Khin On | 1.68 | Yudhikarmani Darmadi | 1.65 | |
| Long jump | Elma Muros | 6.06 m | San San Aye | 5.99 | Can Swee Hua | 5.75 | |
| Shot put | Jennifer Tinlay | 13.17 m | Consuelo Lacusong | 12.00 | Yetty Tukayo | 11.53 | |
| Discus throw | Jennifer Tinlay | 43.42 m | Juliana Effendi | 41.52 | Dorie Cortejo | 39.48 | |
| Javelin throw | Norsham Yoon | 45.74 m | Erlinda Lavandia | 44.50 | Billy Silanga | 41.04 | |
| Heptathlon | Zaiton Othman | 5322 pts | Nene Gamo | 4770 | Jublina Mangi | 4575 | |