25th SEA Games, Laos

Lao-ITECC has become one of the venues to be used for 25th Seagames, the first grandiose regional event ever to take place in Laotian soil, after the 25 Seagames Organising Committee has selected this Shopping Center as one of the main venues to be used for competition of 3 sports such as: Sepak Katraw, Panjak Silat and Wushu (Martial Art) during the 25th Seagame to be held in Laos in December 2009.

Mr. Souliyong Youivanivong, General Manager of the Lao World Co.LTD stated that: ITECC started its construction in 2003 and completed in 2004 with an aim to be used as main venue for hosting the ASEAN-related Meetings in February 2004, 10th ASEAN Summit in Nov 2004 and other international meetings that Laos has gained privilege as a host country. Beside, the trade exhibition has also been held here displaying agricultural, industrial and handicraft products, consumer goods, as well as holding reception, wedding reception. ITECC could accomodate up to 2000 guests. The ITECC also has 32 laned-Bowling Center, 2 Cineplexes and Snooker Courses. Due to is its easy access and convenience, particularly its large parking lot, the ITECC holds trade exhibition 2 times monthly showcasing local product as well as products from neighboring country such as vietnam and Thailand.

During the 25th Seagames, the ITECC has been designates as venue for the competition of the 3 sports mentioned aboved in which the Sepak Takraw and Wushu will take place at its main hall inside ITTECC and Panjak silat will take place at reception hall on second floor. During the end of November ahead of the Games, the Seagame Organising Committee will conduct improvement works such as lighting, audience seats improvement for accommodating 1000 audiences.

In order to contribute to the success in hosting the game, ITECC will charge no rent fee and kindly help pay for electricity, cleaning fee. During the game, ITECC will allow exhibition only on its parking lot in order to let the audiences be able to buy things back home. Moreover, Lao world Company has simultaneouly gained privilege to provide foods including breakfast, lunch and dinner for approximately 3000 to 4000 Laotian and foreign athletes at Athletes Residences located in National University.

Mr. Souliyong has futher stated that: the Subcomittee for Public Security will be responsible for security-related matters during the game and will conduct in-place security commands to ensure 100% of security, same standard that Laos previously provided in hosting international events.

Source: Vientianemai
Translated by: Boy in VT

(KPL) Twenty two Lao delegates, who visited Fukushima, Japan from 1-6 June under the JENESYS programme as a part of Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009 event, together with the same numbers of Japan and Mekong counterparts, finished their training and friendly tournament among six nations, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.

A three-day round robin friendly tournament along with intensive training courses were held at J-village, a national football training center in Fukushima prefecture built in 1997.

Twenty two delegation members consisting of 18 football players aged around 15 years old, team manager, head coach, assistant coach and team doctor, who belong to Lao Football Federation, fought bravely against other teams; they beat Myanmar team by a score of 2-1 and lost to Vietnam by 0-1 on 3 June and won Cambodia by 3-0 and lost to Japan by 2-0 on 4 June.

The last day痴 match saw another victory of Lao players over Thailand by 2-1. according to former J-league player, Lao team is very much unified. They call to each other loudest and the coaches were always with the players.

Another big programme was given to the 100 youths in Tokyo, a JFA Kokoro project programme. It was a special programme targeted teenagers, in which former Japan internationals, Mr. Tsuyoshi Kitazawa, Mr. Yasuyuki Moroyama and former Japan Under-17 international, Mr. Jun Ideguchi served as lecturers to talk about life and dreams.The youth players also attended a J-League Nabisco Cup match between Omiya Ardija and Yokohama F.Marinos in Omiya on 7 June and paid a courtesy visit on Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 8 June before leaving for Vientiane on 9 June.

It is highly expected that Lao team members take full advantage of the intensive training so as to not only prepare for the upcoming first preliminary Asia Zone, but also be a part of building a stringer friendship among the Mekong region countries and Japan.

(KPL) Lao Taekwondo team won a gold medal, two silver medals and four bronze medals at the 9th ASEAN Taekwondo Championship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from 4 to 7 June.

The team competed in standard fighting and poom sa (artistic style) events.

For this sports meet, the federation fielded five male athletes to compete in 54, 58, 62, 67 and 72 kilogram division and five female athletes for the 47, 51, 55, 63 and 67 kilogram categories. The Lao team was led by the Lao and Korean coaches, Mr Chanthavong and Mr Chang Kuk Park.The gold medalist or winner of the men's 58 kilogram category was Phouthavong Outthasak.

The silver medalist in the men's 54 kilogram category was Sysavanhkeo Sayadeth while Tikdaphone Chamyard won a silver medal for the women痴 63kg category.

The bronze medalist for the men's 67 kilogram category was Saysana Vannavong while the men's 72 kilogram category went to Savathvilay Phimmasone.

The Lao taekwondo team will continue to train at the National Sports Training Centre in Sikeuth village, Naxaithong district, after their return from Vietnam.

Coach Chanthavong Panyasily said Lao fighters competed in every weight category during the recent 9th ASEAN Taekwando Championship in Vietnam and they would be similiarly fielded for the coming SEA Games.

The federation would be selecting fighters to train in the Republic of Korea from July to September.

Photo: vientianemai

The contest to select songs to be used for the 25th SEA Games came to an end last week. As the result, 15 songs were selected from the total of 30, to be included in the 25th SEA Games's album 2009. The songs were composed by famous Lao composers both old and new. This contest was sponsored by Toyota Thani Group, Daoheuang Group and Lao telecommunication.

Check out the video clip to know more about this contest.
Sorry it is in Lao language only !!!

The Lao long jump team is trying to improve on the national record during training at the National Sports Training Centre in the hope of winning medals at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane in December.

The team consists of two members, both of whom won medals at the eighth National Games in Champassak province last December.

Silver medallist Soulisak holds the current national record of 6.60 metres. He represented Vientiane at the National Games and will compete in the long jump and hurdle events at this year's SEA Games.

Bronze medallist Sipaseuth represented Borikhamxay province.

The gold medallist is unable to join the SEA Games team.

Long jump coach Sitthixay Sakpaseuth said if the athletes improve on their records they will have a good chance of winning medals at the games.

He said the squad will train in Thailand and test their technique in international level events in the lead-up to the games.

The team has been training at the Sports Training Centre in Sikeuth village in Naxaithong district since April.

The Lao Amateur Athletic Federation plans to host a regional track and field competition in October to enable teams to hone their preparations for the games.

The event will be held at the National Football Stadium at Km 16 in Xaythany district.

A t the last SEA Games in Thailand in 2007, the Lao long jump team was unsuccessful in their quest to win a medal.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) has invited medallists from sports at the eighth National Games in Champassak province last December to join national teams for the upcoming SEA Games.

The national games were used to select the best athletes to prepare for the 25th SEA Games to be held in Vientiane from December 9-18.

Teams have been training at the National Sports Training Centre and in neighbouring countries in preparation for the games.

The national games yielded 234 gold, 233 silver and 351 bronze medallists from Vientiane , 16 provinces and 10 ministries.

The LNSC did not select unsuccessful athletes or those with a record of bad behaviour or disrespect for the rules of sporting committees and federations.

Ms Nouny Soukpaseuth won a gold medal in the women's 4x400m, silver in the women's 3,000 metre and a bronze in the 1,500 metre in the track and field events at the national games where she represented Champassak province.

After her success she began training for both the track and field and cycling events for the SEA Games.

However, she has been ruled out of selection for the games. The Lao Amateur Athletics Federation's secretary general, Ms Phouxay Phengphong, said Ms Nouny was not selected for the national squad due to disrespect of the federation's rules.

Ms Nouny's younger sister, Ms Phonesanith, won a gold in the 25km and a silver in the 70km, as well as two bronze medals in team 30km and 70km cycling events at the national games.

Neither of the two sisters has been selected for the national cycling team to compete at the SEA Games.

The federation has selected a squad of 41 athletes, including substitutes, for the track and field events.

The LNSC has set a deadline of next month for all 11 countries competing in the games to submit a listing of their national squads.

The SEA Games will comprise athletics, swimming, diving, water polo, archery, badminton, billiards and snooker, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karatedo, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, volleyball and beach volleyball, weight lifting, wrestling, wushu, muay, pencak silat, petanque, fin swimming and shuttlecock.

The eighth National Games consisted of track and field, swimming, volleyball, basketball, football, table tennis, badminton, tennis, sepak takraw, petanque, bowling, golf, snooker, shooting, top spinning, crossbow, sport boat racing, muay lao, boxing, pencak silat, taekwondo, judo, karatedo and cycling.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

(KPL) ASEAN Water Polo Federation and FINA referees and members recently has sent four experts to train Lao officials and volunteers from Lao National Swimming Federation as well as inspected a new arena construction site at Km 16 in Xaythany district.

The Philippines sent a number of experts to train 30 Lao volunteers from the Lao Swimming Federation at Kavin College from 29-30 May.

The three experts taught the rules and techniques of water polo. A Two day training was attended by Deputy President of Lao National Swimming Federation Mr Phankham Vongkhanti and some officials from the federation. One team consists of seven players, including a goal keeper. As in football, the goal is to get the ball into the opponent?s net.

With legs and feet busy keeping players a float, it is up to the hands and arms to guide the ball towards its destination, or block opposition attack.

The Philippines is ready to support Lao water polo players if the Swimming Federation were able to organise a team for the SEA Games.

The Lao Swimming Federation said it was unable to prepare a team to compete in the event because water polo was too new sport for the Lao people, which Laos has never competed in water polo in the SEA Games or at any other international event.

Lao pencak silat team will test their skills against Vietnamese opponents when they train in Hanoi , Vietnam , from June to November.

The training camp in Vientiane will be the site of a selection process by Vietnamese coach Nguyen Huy Dong and trainer Thongkhoun Khamsysavathdy, who will choose an 11 member squad to compete in the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane in December.

The team will have the opportunity to compete in the 3rd Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi in August.

The training camp and match experience in Vietnam will assist the Lao athletes in their preparations for the SEA Games.

Vice President of the Lao Pencak Silat Federation, Mr Khamphoui Bounyalith, said the team is ready to continue their training in Hanoi after training at the National Sports Training Centre in Sikeuth village, Naxaithong district, since April.

Mr Khamphoui said the squad are all committed to training hard and improving in the hope of winning medals when their home nation hosts the games.

The Lao National Sports Committee is financing the Lao team's travel to the training camp in Vietnam , while the Vietnamese government is providing in-camp support for the squad.

Mr Nguyen arrived in Vientiane last February and has been coaching the national team ever since, initially at the national camp and then the national training centre.

Mr Nguyen led the Vietnamese team to success in the 20th SEA Games in Brunei in 1999, 21st SEA Games in Malaysia in 2001 and the 22nd SEA Games in Vietnam in 2003, as well as other international tournaments.

The Lao team was coached by an Indonesian trainer for the last SEA Games in Thailand where they won a bronze medal.

A bronze medallist in the men's 60kg category of the pencak silat at those games, Mr Olane Sihalath, is hopeful of winning a medal at this year's games.

Pencak silat events at the games will comprise tanding (fighting style) in the men's 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 and over 80kg categories and women's 50, 55, 60 and 65kg categories. There will also be contests in seni (dancing style), tunggan (singles) and ganda (doubles) for men and women with no weight divisions.

The Lao team took bronze at the 18th SEA Games in Thailand in 1995 and at the 19th SEA Games in Indonesia in 1997.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

(KPL) The Lao cultural performance programme will be a pillar of the inauguration ceremony to kick-start the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane from 9 to 18 December this year and it is an opportunity for Lao to showcase her culture to an international audience.

However, there will also be another cultural performance and it will be held during the closing ceremony of the sporting event.

Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Bouangueng Saphouvong, who is in charge of the arts performances for the for official opening and closing ceremonies of 25th SEA Games, said that rehearsals are being held and commenced in June.

He continued, ?The main programme of the art performances will focus on Lao culture and for the opening and closing performances the total number of performers is 8,000.

(KPL) Laos is planning to recruit Anne Keothavong, a Lao-British tennis player, whose ranking is the top of the pole in England and ranked 48th in the world to play for Lao during the coming 25th SEA Games, but the Lao National Sports Committee is mulling over the problem of transferring her nationality so that her legal status is Lao.

Laos is already in touch with Anne and has already invited her to join the Lao women?s tennis team but she has not revealed any information on the offer to the press.
Anne was born on 16 September 1983, in Hackney, located in the north of London.

Her parents are Lao and they migrated to England from Laos some time back.
She started to play tennis from the age of seven.

Snooker star Sitthideth Satbieng is clocking up more experience in the region as he eyes a gold medal in the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane in December.

Sitthideth rocketed to the top of the sport in Laos after winning no less than three gold medals in the men's singles, men's doubles and men's team (three players) events in the eighth National Games in Champassak province last December.

He represented Savannakhet province in the games.

He worked as a resident professional at a snooker club in Bangkok , Thailand , for two years, and has competed in international competition in Division 2. Events in this division are held five times a year.

He will return to the Thai club after competing in the SEA Games.

The Lao Billiard and Snooker Federation lacks the funding to hold national snooker competitions several times a year and also lacks equipment.

Sitthideth, 26, was born in Xeno village in Savannakhet's Outhoum-phone district and began playing when he was 13 years old.

He and his teammates train on the tables at the federation's facilities in Vientiane every day under the guidance of Lao trainers.

They are expecting a Thai coach to arrive to improve their skills and have been training since March, living in the federation's dormitory.

The Lao snooker starting team consists of three women and seven men. There are a further five substitutes among the men, selected by the federation at the Eighth National Games.

The players come from Vientiane and from Savannakhet and Champassak provinces.

Sitthideth said he had learnt his techniques from top players in Thailand .

He said he was gaining in confidence and thought he had a chance of winning a medal in the SEA Games.

However, it would be difficult to beat the Thai team, which has the top-ranked players in the region.

Sitthideth and his teammates will be in Thailand from August to September for pre-games training.

In the meantime, the federation will hold the Snooker Open in Vientiane next month, with competitions for young up-and-comers as well as an open and masters meet.

The Lao snooker team currently occupies seventh place in the South East Asian rankings.

Federation secretary Mr Arsa Mahisanant said the Lao players had the chance of a podium finish at the SEA Games if they could avoid an early showdown with strong players from Malaysia , the Philippines and Thailand .

Events will comprise men's and women's singles and men's and women's doubles.

Apart from snooker, the tables will also be busy with billiard and pool events in the same categories.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

Vientiane authorities are readying accommodation, food and tourism services for guests and athletes visiting Laos for the 25th SEA Games in December.

The capital will provide accommodation for about 4,000 athletes, and is making sure international-standard hotels and top end guesthouses are ready for visitors.

The Vientiane Tourism Department held a meeting at the National Culture Hall on Friday to discuss the preparations, as well as public security and public health.

The meeting was attended by Vice Vientiane Mayor and Vice President of the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC), Mr Somvandy Nathavong, LAOSOC officials and staff from the department, hotels and guesthouses.

Mr Somvandy asked businesses to help in providing accommodation, food and tourism service during the games, which he said was a historical event for Laos .

He said Laos was satisfied its political stability would enable sound public security.

The Tourism Department has asked for more than 2 billion kip to redecorate and clean accommodations and provide food and tourism services.

Officials will check 12 hotels to make sure their standards are adequate. Hotels in five districts are still under construction but will be finished before the games. Officials will also inspect athletes' accommodation at the National University of Laos.

They will hold a meeting for businesses to respond to the call to support the SEA Games' effort and will continue checks of hotels and guesthouses for VIP guests, to be conducted by the Lao National Sports Committee and sports federation officials.

The Tourism Department will publish a Vientiane Tourism Guide Book and will hold two training courses for management staff in hotels, guesthouses and restaurants.

Hotels, guesthouses and restaurants in Vientiane will all be spruced up, with staff to wear traditional costumes to welcome guests and put Lao culture on display.

All sports venues, hotels, guesthouses, tourist facilities and other places will be tightly secured.

Public health officials will promote the need for cleanliness and hygiene and check the food provided by hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and markets in Vientiane for athletes and visitors.

Mr Somvandy said the games offered a good opportunity to develop human resources and businesses and for the Lao people to receive foreign guests.

He was confident the services offered would be up to international standards.

He advised business operators to take advantage of the event by putting up the price of rooms in hotels and guesthouses and raising meal prices.

The games represented the work of the Lao people and they should unite in hosting the event, he said.

The health unit would award certificates to restaurants if it could be determined they cooked clean food. Public health officials said they lacked money to buy some of the equipment they needed to carry out their work.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes