25th SEA Games, Laos

Local practitioners and teachers of aikido, judo and karate-do sports will have a second venue in which to practise their discipline next year.

A practice and performance hall (dojo) is being built at the Physical Education Teacher Training School (PETTS) at Thongpong village in Sikhottabong district.

The first venue for such sports was the Lao-Japan Budo Centre at Anou village, Chanthabouly district, currently in the second phase of construction.

The PETTS construction project begins from this month and will conclude in May, at a cost of about 758 million kip (US$88,495), which has been granted as aid from the Japanese government.

This school is the only one in the country focused solely on training physical education teachers, and has suffered from a shortage of proper facilities and equipment.

It is hoped that this project will help to rectify the situation.

A signing ceremony for the construction project was held in Vientiane on Wednesday, attended by PETTS Director, Mr Intong Leusinsay, and Japanese Ambassador to Laos , Mr Masaaki Miyashita.

Mr Miyashita said when it was built the facility would prove an important tool for trainee teachers' education.

He said that many Lao people were gaining more interest in a wide range of sports as a direct result of the upcoming 25th SEA Games to be held in Vientiane in December.

However, while an increasing number of Lao people were interested in physical pursuits, there was a general lack of trained educators in the field of physical education and training in the country, he said.

Mr Intong thanked the Japanese government and others cooperating and assisting PETTS development.

He said the indoor dojo at the teacher training school would be suitable for training and competition events in judo, karate-do and aikido and provide another alternative for martial artists.

The Japanese government provided about 19 billion kip (201,600,000 million yen) for the second phase of construction of the Lao-Japan Budo Centre.

The Lao SEA Games Organising Committee will hold the judo and karate-do events at the Vientiane-based centre.

The funds were used to build the Budo Centre, install electricity, water and air conditioning and provide equipment and clothing for judo and karatedo players.

In the first phase of construction, the Japanese government provided grant aid of about 37 billion kip (400 million yen) last December.

Construction of the Budo Centre began on December 10 last year, and is due for completion in October this year. It is being built by a consortium of the Japan-based Kanto Construction Co. Ltd and Sanpo International Corporation.

Judo events in the 25th SEA Games will comprise eight men's categories (55kg, 60kg, 66kg, 73kg, 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and over 100kg), while women are competing in the 45, 48, 52, 57, 63, 70, 78 and over 78kg categories.

Karatedo events will consist of male combatants in seven categories (55kg, 60kg, 65kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg, 80kg) and women fighters in four (48, 53, 60 and over 60kg).

At the 24th SEA Games in Thailand last year, the Lao judo team took home two gold, one silver and three bronze medals, while the karate-do team won a bronze.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

More than 100 martial artists gave a demonstration to a curious crowd at the Faculty of Economics and Business at the National University of Laos on Saturday.

The demonstrators, from the junior and senior categories of various martial arts, comprised 50 judo fighters, and 40 male and 21 female practitioners of aikido. They came from Vietnam , Cambodia , Singapore , Thailand and Laos and performed alongside karatedo teams. They received training for this event from Japanese experts.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Phongsavat Boupha, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Bouangeun Xaphouvong, Japanese Ambassador to Laos Masaaki Miyashita, presidents of the judo aikido and karatedo federations and senior officials watched the performance along with students.

“It is my great pleasure that the Embassy of Japan is hosting this martial arts demonstration here today. I would like to welcome all guests and thank them for coming to this event,” Mr Miyashita said.

Judo is a traditional Japanese martial art dating back to ancient times along with sumo wrestling. It is renowned for its solid manual movements, without the use of any protective gear or equipment. After the Second World War, it gained an international reputation and was practised by millions of people all over the world. For some time it was included in the Olympic Games.

Karatedo is believed to have its origins in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan . Again, it doesn't involve the use of any instruments, but there is more emphasis on striking and kicking.

The birth of aikido is relatively recent, dating back to around the 1920s. This martial art is primarily used for self-defence, rather than for attack. It also attaches great importance to harmony between the body and the mind. These martial arts are not simply physical sports, but also emphasise the importance of discipline and self-control.

Some of the players who demonstrated their skills and expertise on Saturday had won SEA Games' medals.

“I am confident that many more of them will obtain medals in the coming SEA Games in Vientiane later this year,” Mr Miyashita said.

He said the Japanese government was continuously contributing to the development of martial arts in Laos by organising annual events and building the Lao-Japan Budo Centre in Vientiane .

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Lao judo and karatedo federations and the Lao Aikido Club for their valuable collaboration with the Embassy of Japan in organising today's event,” he added.

“It's particularly important to mark this event as part of the Mekong-Japan Exchange Year 2009 programme. I hope you enjoy beautiful and powerful performances by Lao martial artists.”

The national judo team will compete at a judo competition to be held in Thailand on April 4. Teams will also take part in the first Asean Martial Arts competition to be held in Thailand at the end of April.

Judo events in the 25th SEA Games will include eight men's categories (55kg, 60kg, 66kg, 73kg, 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and over 100kg), while the eight women's categories are in the 45, 48, 52, 57, 63, 70, 78 and over 78kg weight divisions.

Karatedo events will consist of male combatants in seven categories (55kg, 60kg, 65kg, 65kg, 70kg, 75kg, 80kg) and women fighters in four (48, 53, 60 and over 60kg).

At the 24th SEA Games held in Thailand last year, the Lao judo team won two gold, one silver and three bronze medals, while the karatedo team won a bronze medal.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes