25th SEA Games, Laos

Under the original plan, the organising committee proposed Vientiane be the main venue for the games, with Champassak and Luang Prabang provinces hosting some events.

The technical committee has now said the government has decided all events will take place in Vientiane and the organising committee has now allocated venues for each sport.

A technical committee official, Mr Phouvane Vongsouthi, told the media the organising committee had called off plans for events to be organised in Champassak and Luang Prabang provinces because of budget constraints.

The organising committee said recent heavy flooding around the country had caused a great deal of damage and money that had been allocated for the SEA Games had been diverted to help flood victims. Committee members had decided not to continue with the construction of SEA Games facilities in the provinces, but to hold all the events in Vientiane .

The organising committee confirmed preparations for the SEA Games were on schedule and said all the venues would be ready on time.

The committee says athletics, swimming, diving, water polo, badminton, golf, shooting, volleyball, tennis and archery events will take place at the new sports complex being built at Km 16 in Dongsanghin village, Xaythany district.

Table tennis matches will take place at the National University of Laos (NUOL) indoor court and taekwondo and wrestling events will also be held at the campus, in the Booyoung indoor stadium.

Pétanque matches will be at the Dongdok campus and boxing bouts will take place in the Olympasia indoor stadium at the campus.

Sepak takraw, wushu and pencak silat events will be held at the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Football matches will be played at four different venues: the National Stadium in Anou village, Chanthabouly district; the new stadium at Km 16; the NUOL stadium and the Army stadium at Km 5.

Judo and karatedo athletes will compete at the Chao-anouvong indoor stadium in Anou village.

Kick-boxing and shuttlecock events will take place at the Vientiane Sports Department in Beungkhayong village, Sisattanak district.

Billiards and snooker will be played at the Don Chan Palace .

These plans will be reviewed at a meeting of the SEA Games Council to take place in Vientiane from November 11-13. The meeting will be attended by representatives of various Southeast Asian sporting bodies.

The people of Laos are preparing to welcome visitors to Laos to cheer on their teams at the games. The games are held to build a bridge of friendship among all South East Asian nations.

By Sisay Vilaysack
Vientianetimes

The government is planning to expand the road from Xaysavang village to Dongsanghin village in Xaythany district, Vientiane , this year in preparation for the 25 th SEA Games, to be held in December 2009.

The aim is to avoid traffic jams while the games are in progress. The six-lane road will be 4.5 km long and 21 metres wide, with lighting and parking places for a distance of one kilometre leading to the sports complex.

The complex is located in Dongsanghin village, at Km 16 in Xaythany district.

The upgrade will begin in February and is expected to take one year. The government will fund the project through a loan of 2.7 billion kip (US$300,000) from the Republic of Korea 's International Economic Development Fund.

The governments of the two countries will sign an agreement on the loan at the end of this month.

“A Korean company will design and build the new road and will send a proposal to the Roads Department of the Ministry of Works and Transport before approval is given,” said the Director General of the Roads Department, Mr Laokham Sompheth.

“We are also seeking funding to repair other roads in the area of the stadium,” said Mr Laokham.

The government spent about 34.8 billion kip (US$3.7 million) this month to relocate the residents of two villages in the vicinity of the sports complex.

At present, the road is about 7 metres wide, which is too narrow to cope with the large volume of traffic expected at the games.

The government of the Republic of Korea will begin searching for a Korean company to rebuild the road, which will be fully landscaped in time for the opening ceremony.

Deputy Mayor of Vientiane Somvandy Nathavong said at the Prime Minister's Office last week “We need to widen the stretch from Kaysone Phomvihane Road to the Dongsanghin village road into a six-lane highway to ease traffic congestion”.

He also intends that 5 hectares of land around the sports complex be made into a park.

At present, Vientiane has only one kilometre of road that is six lanes wide, Lane Xang Avenue , which runs from the Patouxay Monument to the Presidential Palace.


By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes