Photo: Lao-ITECC, one of the place to be used for the SEA GAMES 2009
HANOI, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Laos is constructing and upgrading its stadiums, training centers, accommodations, transport and tourism to host the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2009, Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported Monday.
The 25th SEA Games will take place next December in Vientiane capital and the two provinces of Savannakhet and Luang Prabang.
Vientiane, home to 97 hotels, 69 restaurants and 60 tourism companies, will spend more than 12 billion kip (nearly 1.3 million U.S. dollars) building accommodations, improving the city's appearance, and expanding its public transport network.
Savannakhet province is to spend over 65 billion kip (seven million dollars) upgrading infrastructure for hosting soccer events, and Luang Prabang province to rebuild its existing stadiumto host track and field events.
Laos is building a judo training center for the Lao Judo Federation with the assistance of the Japanese government, and a taekwondo training center with the help of a South Korean company.
The 25th SEA Games will comprise swimming, diving, wrestling, track and field, badminton, rugby, boxing, soccer, futsal, golf, judo, karatedo, petanque, sepak takraw, billiards, snooker, shooting, Muay Lao, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, boat racing, shuttlecock, wushu, pencak silat, volleyball, and beach volleyball events.
At the 24th SEA Games in Thailand last year, the Lao team was helped by trainers from Vietnam, China, South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Mongolia and Thailand, and showed great improvements, the newspaper said.
