The main Lao-Japan Budo Centre is complete and ready to host the judo and karatedo events at the 25th SEA Games from December 9-18.
The karatedo team gives a demonstration at the Budo Centre.
The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) staged a budo exhibition at the centre after its construction was completed on November 6.
Construction took part in two phases at a cost of more than 600 million yen, funded by the Japanese government and people.
The contract for construction of the centre was awarded to Azusa Sekkei Co., Ltd. as the consultant and the Consortium of Kanto Construction Co., Ltd. in cooperation with Sanpo International Corporation as contractor.
The first Budo Centre in Laos is located in Anou village in Chanthabouly district, Vientiane .
The handover ceremony was attended by Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the SEA Games Organising Committee, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, LNSC President Dr Phouthong Seng-Akhom, Japanese Ambassador to Laos Masaaki Miyashita, and senior officials from Laos and Japan .
Mr Somsavat said the centre was an important contribution to the success of the SEA Games. The Lao government considered it is as a special project of bilateral cooperation.
He expressed his gratitude to the government and people of Japan , specially the consultant company on behalf of JICA, and the Consortium of Kanto Construction and Sanpo International Corporation for their professionalism in ensuring the centre was finished on time and was of the highest standard
The centre has been fitted out to hold the judo and karatedo events at the SEA Games.
The Lao judo and karatedo teams will live and train at the centre in preparation for the games.
Until now, the karatedo fighters have been training at the National Sports Training Centre in Sikeut village, Naxaithong district.
Judo and karatedo are both Japanese martial arts. They were introduced to Laos in the 1960s and have seen gradual development through the assistance of Japanese volunteers.
The Budo Centre will be the main venue for aikido, judo and karatedo events and will also be used for other sports such as table tennis, badminton, and sepak takraw.
Seminars, conference and concerts can also be staged there to make money for administration and maintenance purposes.
The Lao government's contribution to the project was to demolish the existing building on the site, relocate a primary school, clean the site, erect fencing, hook up electricity and water to the site and do the landscaping, at a cost of 2 billion and 42 million kip.
The construction project is the largest the Japanese government has provided to Laos under its cultural grant assistance scheme. The Budo Centre is the first of its kind for the promotion of Japanese martial arts in the region.
The Budo Centre comprises a three-storey main building and two single-storey buildings with a total construction area of 1,796.2 square metres.
The main building comprises a practice and competition venue, the director's room, administration room, and aikido, judo and karatedo offices.
It has fixed seats for 436 spectators and 275 removable seats for activities such as concerts. After the handover ceremony, hundreds of aikio, karatedo and judo fighters at the junior and senior levels from Japan and Laos took part in demonstrations at the centre.
At the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007, the Lao karatedo team won a bronze medal and the judo team two gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes
