25th SEA Games, Laos

Grass is to be planted in the main football stadium to be used in the 25th SEA Games in December, along with the installation of an electronic scoreboard and seating.

This work is scheduled for the end of June, by which time there should be enough rain to make the grass grow quickly and abundantly.

The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) will carry out an inspection of the stadium, located at Km 16, after the grass, scoreboard and seating are in place.

The Industrial Park Overseas Investment Co Ltd and the China Yunnan Construction Engineering Group Corporation have decided not to plant any grass yet because of the difficulty of growing a healthy pitch in the dry season.

The corporation has now finished 95 percent of the stadium, with more than 1,045 Chinese workers and more than 400 Lao workers involved in the construction process at a cost of more than US$100 million. A ceremony to hand over the stadium to the Lao government will take place in September.

Ahead of the games, the LNSC will hold competitions to test out the venues and athletes.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the 25th SEA Games Organising Committee, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, and senior LNSC officials on Friday inspected the progress made on the stadium, golf course, main access road and athletes' accommodation.

The access road is 75 percent complete and will be landscaped in May.

Engineers from the two companies are finding it difficult to dig drainage channels and install electricity around the main stadium and other venues.

Mr Somsavat suggested a Ministry of Public Works and Transport committee should cooperate in these areas of work.

He said water and electricity installation would have to be finished next month in order for the remaining work to continue smoothly.

At present 19 officials are managing the construction of the main football stadium, two indoor stadiums, swimming pool, shooting field, tennis courts and beach volleyball site.

Mr Somsavat said the LNSC should assign more than this number of officials because 19 people were not enough to ensure security.

The LNSC will hold friendly football matches with teams from neighbouring countries ahead of the games to help improve the national team and test out the stadium.

The committee will hold a Pre-SEA Games to test the various venues and teams before the actual games begin in December.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes