Yesterday was a day of victory for Lao athletes at the ongoing SEA Games on home soil when they reached their target of 25 gold medals, as some optimists had predicted ahead of the games.
The eighth day of competition will go down in the record books as being the day when the magic number of 25 gold medals for Laos was reached in 25 sports at the 25th SEA Games.
The first gold medal yesterday came at 5:31pm, after a long day of waiting, thanks to Phonenaly Sayarath who won the women's under 52kg division in judo.
Other gold medals that pushed Laos towards success came from the swimming pool at 6pm, when Chrichina Sindara won the women's 50m surface fin swimming event and Amdavanh Phanmibounkong won the women's 400m surface fin swimming event.
Despite having reached their gold medal target, Lao athletes will continue to pursue their quest for even more gold in the last two days of competition.
The petanque team, who were favourites to win a gold medal yesterday, managed only bronze.
Of the 11 gold medals up for grabs in petanque Laos is hoping to claim at least four. So far, they have picked up one gold, one silver and five bronze medals in the sport.
The gold medal was won in the women's doubles on Monday by Manivanh Souliya and Noitavane Pasert.
The final two gold medals in petanque will be there for the taking on Friday in the men's and women's triples events.
Yesterday afternoon Laos claimed a silver medal when 20-year-old Milvady Hongfa took second place in the women's light flyweight 48kg boxing event.
On the shuttlecock court where Laos hoped to win one gold medal from the two events being contested, the team scooped two silver medals, with both golds going to the more experienced Vietnamese team.
In the round robin competition in women's football, Laos came in fourth, while Myanmar took the bronze medal. The gold medal was won by Vietnam after they beat defending champion Thailand 3-0 in a penalty shootout at Chao Anouvong Stadium yesterday.
The last men's football matches will take place today. The bronze medal match between Laos and Singapore kicks off at 3pm at Chao Anouvong Stadium, while the gold medal match between Vietnam and Malaysia will begin at 5pm at the National Stadium.
SEA Games Organising Committee Chairman Somsavat Lengsavad said yesterday the games will raise Lao sport to a higher level because of the enthusiasm shown by local people in supporting Lao athletes.
“SEA Games fever has shown that people want to cheer for and support their athletes in popular sports so this leads me to believe Lao sport will improve,” he said.
Mr Somsavat said many foreigners had told him they couldn't believe that Lao people could be so interested in the games. “I don't want to congratulate my own country but many national leaders in this region have congratulated us on our good preparations and infrastructure which has contributed to the success of the games so far.”
He said many delegations had also congratulated him on the standard of the various sports venues including those used for shooting and table tennis, saying they were better than those in other countries in the region.
“They also said we should organise other international sports events in the future.”
Mr Somsavat said he was proud of the way local people welcomed various visitors during the games with warm smiles and hospitality. He also congratulated Lao athletes, saying the SEA Games was an important event in the history of Laos .
“Our athletes have done well, winning many gold, silver and bronze medals even though the games are still not over. Laos has never had such medal success. But this time we are the hosts so our athletes trained hard for this victory.”
Mr Somsavat talked about the Lao footballers, saying they had played very well to be in the semi-finals. In the past, Laos had never reached the semi-finals.
“Today, I can say our footballers have greatly improved because of their dedicated training. They are trying to do their best, especially as we are the hosts of this event.”
He urged people to continue to show their support for Lao athletes until the end of the games, saying cheering was the best source of energy and inspiration as they pursued their medal quest.
“All Lao people should show their support right up until the end of the games. And we should continue to give visitors a warm and polite welcome, as well as taking care of the environment so the country looks its best for all delegations, guests and tourists visiting Laos,” he said.
Photo: Khamla Xayavong is delighted with her gold medal and a new SEA Games record.
Khamla Xayavong, 21, made sporting history for Laos after she won a gold medal on Saturday in the women's 10m running target shooting event.
Her gold medal is not only the first ever for Laos in shooting, but her score of 367.0 set a new SEA Games record. The previous highest score in this event was 358.0.
The gold medal is a wonderful present for Khamla as she approaches her 22nd birthday on December 30.
“I am very excited and happy to win this gold medal, which I hoped to win because I trained hard since earlier this year,” Khamla said.
Other records were set at the shooting range on Saturday.
Linn Aung from Myanmar won the men's 50m rifle prone event with 695.40 points (previous SEA Games record 592.0 points). Aung Nyein Ni also from Myanmar took the silver medal in the same event with 694.70 points (previous SEA Games record 592.0 points).
On Fri day, Tanyaporn Prucksakorn won the women's 10m air pistol event with 483.0 points (previous SEA Games record 481.5 points).
In the swimming pool, the Singaporean team set a new record in the women's 100m freestyle with a time of 03:45:73, beating the previous record of 03:51.86 set at the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007.
Cai Lin Khoo of Malaysia won the women's 400m freestyle with a time of 04:10.75. The previous SEA Games record was 04:18.20.
Huu Viet Nguyen of Vietnam took gold in the men's 100m breaststroke with a time of 01:01.60, besting the previous SEA Games record of 01:01.92.
Yi Ting Siow of Malaysia won the women's 100m breaststroke, setting a new record of 01:09.82. The previous SEA Games record was 01:01.15.
Daniel Bego of Malaysia took gold in the men's 100m freestyle with a time of 00:50.16, shaving less than one second off the previous SEA Games record of 00:50.80.
In the men's 100m breaststroke Indra Gunawan of Indonesia took gold with a time of 01:02:59, breaking the previous SEA Games record of 01:02.96.
Other swimming records tumbled on Thursday. In the women's 100m freestyle Ting Wen Quah of Singapore set a time of 00:56.03, beating the previous SEA Games record of 00:56.05).
In the women's 200m individual medley Yi Ting Siow of Malaysia set a record of 02:14.57, breaking the previous SEA Games record of 2:17.17.
In the women's 200m freestyle the Singaporean team won in a time of 08:11.75, significantly cutting down on the time of 8:20.77 set previously.
Spectators around the country have been impressed by the high standard of Lao martial arts fighters and proud of the medals they won have at the SEA Games so far.
Martial arts disciplines being contested at this year's games comprise taekwondo, wushu, judo, muay, boxing, karatedo, wrestling, and pencak silat.
Competing athletes reached a high standard of physical fitness ahead of the games, with many training in camps in neighbouring countries. They also reached higher standards in recent international competitions than in the past.
At the Lao-ITECC indoor stadium on Sunday, the Lao wushu team won two gold medals in the men's and women's doubles in duilian (pair) events.
Soudaphone Chanlapheng, 14, and Ketsuda Vongphakdy, 19, were both gold medalists in the women's duilian event, while Anousone Sasabo, 20, and Bountang Song, 18, won gold in the men's duilian event.
This has been the most successful start ever for the Lao wushu team.
Wushu competitions are taking place at the Lao-ITECC indoor stadium from December 13 to 17.
Taekwondo featured earlier in the games from December 10-12, with the Lao team taking three gold medals.
The Lao team has never won any medals at international level in the dancing style but at this year's games they have the home team advantage and are also much better prepared.
At the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007 they won a gold and two bronze medals in the fighting style.
Tao lu events at the 25th SEA Games include changquan (long fist), nanquan (southern fist), taijiquan (shadow boxing), daoshu (broadsword), jiashu (sword), nandao (southern broadsword), jianjijian (taiji sword), qiangshu (spear), gunshu (cudgel), nangun (south-style cudgel), duilian (pair events) with and without weapons and jiti (group or team events).
Lao gold medallist in the men's 54kg flyweight division Phoutthavong Outhasak found it easy to beat his Cambodian opponent Chhoy Bouthorn 13-1 in the final at Booyong Gymnasium last Saturday.
Phoutthavong beat his Thai opponent Pen-ek Karaket 5-4 before going on to beat the Cambodian fighter.
Phoutthavong had earlier won a silver medal in the men's 58kg division in Thailand 's 24th SEA Games.
Still to come are the boxing, wrestling, muay, and judo events, which will be held at the Lao-Japan Budo Centre from December 15-17.
IT was a historic moment for Laos when the 25th South East Asian (SEA) Games was officially opened in a colourful ceremony steeped in cultural and historical significance at the new National Stadium in Vientiane last night.
Despite being a founder member when the Games debuted in 1959, Laos, known as “the ancient kingdom of a million elephants”, are hosting the biennial event for the first time.
The Games are also held in celebration of the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the capital of Laos in 2010.
Tagged as the ‘Generosity, Amity, and Healthy Lifestyle’ Games, the hosts are keen to stress home the point that solidarity and friendship are more important than winning among the South East Asian neighbours.
About 7,000 students were involved in the cultural performances in the opening ceremony, which included dances titled “Welcome SEA Games, Sound of Jungle, Golden Rice Field, Fairness Candlelight, Sin-Xay the hero of an era, Bright Future and Binding Heart to Step Forward”.
The performances celebrated the abundance of cultural and ethnical diversity in the former French colony.
Among the dignitaries who graced the ceremony was Laos President Choummaly Sayasone and he was joined by the Prime Ministers of Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Countdown the opening
Part I
Part II
Part III
Torching
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
All video clips from langvannavong Source: Thestar, Malaysia
If the fans which turned up on the first day of the men’s football event at the SEA Games yesterday is of any indication at all, then the Laos organisers should be more than happy with the sale of tickets. For the men’s football event, tickets are being sold at a price of 50,000kips (USD6) and 70,000kips (USD8.30) for the preliminary round matches.
And yesterday, tickets were sold out as droves of Vietnam fans garb in all red came to witness their second national side held eight-times SEA Games champions Thailand to a 1-1 draw. The newly-built Main Stadium has a capacity of 20,000 and apart from making sure that the Vietnam are well supported, the noise generated throughout the evening including when Malaysia took on Timer Leste gave a festive atmosphere worthy of a cup final.
Both the Vietnam and Thailand fans were mingling with each other as they took to the spirit of ASEAN brotherhood to the letter.
During the break, with the music of the Laos SEA Games and also traditional Laos songs being played, scores of people were singing and dancing at the stands. And while Thailand had a smaller crowd of supporters pushing the team forward, the likes of Malaysia and Timor Leste had been given appointed cheerleaders to make them have a semblance of them playing at home.
With the level of football being played on the very first day of competition, the crowd who came to watch the matches were not at all disappointed. Tomorrow will be another loud and cheerful day at the second venue of the Chao Anu Vong Stadium with Vietnam taking on Timor Leste - right after the game between Thailand and Cambodia.
The 25th SEA Games Accommodation and Food Committee reported last week that a large number of Thai and Vietnamese sports fans will attend the games in Vientiane next month.
Various committees involved with the organising the games met in Vientiane on Friday to discuss final preparations for the event.
Committee Vice Chairman, Dr Sila Mounthalavong, said the committee is working in cooperation with local hotels and restaurants to ensure that demand can be met during the event.
“Various associations have informed us that large groups of supporters from those countries have already booked accommodation and they're also expecting many visitors from Cambodia and Myanmar ,” he said.
“Sports clubs and fan associations in neighbouring nations have inquired about services at the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge during the games, such as opening hours and expected waiting times.”
“We've also had requests for timetable and scheduling information so that visitors can plan their trips here,” Dr Sila said.
The SEA Games Organising Committee is currently in the process of compiling the relevant information which can be provided for distribution in neighbouring countries.
Dr Sila called on the relevant committees to publicise scheduling and other information as soon as possible.
“Some visitors will actually be coming to Laos over the next week or so because some sports events begin on December 2, so it would be good if such information was available for visitors when they arrive,” he said.
Standing Deputy Prime Minister and SEA Games Organising Committee Chairman Somsavat Lengsavad asked all committees involved with the games to cooperate to quickly produce scheduling information for visitors.
The committees pledged to ensure the required information is publicly available by the end of this week.
(KPL) The Wattana Hospital Group (Nongkhai and Udon Thani) presented one ambulance and medical equipment, totally worth 306 million kip, to the Ministry of Public Health to support the service of Lao medical officials during the 25th SEA Games, to be held in Vientiane on 9-18 December.
The handover of the package was held on 19 November at the Ministry of Public Health in Vientiane Capital and was witnessed by Deputy Minister of Public Health of the Lao PDR, Dr. Eksavang Vongvichith, Thai Ambassador to Laos Mr. Wiboon Khusakul and relevant officials of both sides.
The package was presented by President of Wattana Hospital Group (Nongkhai and Udon Thani) Dr. Phimphath Taugseubkoun and received by Head of the Secretariat on Medicine and Performance Enhancing Drug Control, Dr Chanphomma Vongsamphanh. At the ceremony Dr. Chanphomma expressed his heartfelt thanks to the donor Wattana Hospital Group (Nongkhai and Udon Thani) for its assistance to support the 25th SEA Games.
Mr. Somsavat Lengsavad, Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the 25th SEA Games Organising Committee, urged the transport committee to pay more attention to all liaison officers (LO) and volunteer officers (VO) to closely advise and organise a training course in term of theory and practice to ensure their responsibility and good performance.
Mr. Somsavat Lengsavad who talked to 4,261 liaison and volunteer officers in Vientiane on 18 November, highlighted the main duties and obligations of the liaison and volunteer officers, who will work to welcome sports delegations from 11 nations. He asked the committee to organise more training for them until the opening day.
The training should concentrate on LO's and VO's responsibilities and their work places. Mr. Somsavat also asked LOs and VOs to learn more about the culture, tradition and geography of the country of their guests to facilitate their coordination and communication.
(KPL)Vientiane Jamia Mosque welcomes SEA Games Muslim athletes, sports officials, supporters and tourists who would be here during the SEA Games period next month to do their Friday prayer and the five daily Muslim prayers (fazar, zohor, azan, magrib and isyak) in its premises.
This mosque is located in the tourist belt area and so it is right in the centre of this capital city. The newcomer Muslims could use the city?s iconic ?Namphu? (fountain) as a landmark, walk down Setthathirath Avenue for 40 metres until he reaches a directional sign, follow the arrow and he would come to the mosque, distinguished by its three spires.
Imam or religious teacher of this mosque is Maulana Nazimul Islam, who hailed from Assam province, India, and he leads the Friday prayer.
According to a committee member of the mosque. Mr Mohd Lokman bin Abdul Rahman, there are 900 to 1,000 Muslims in Vientiane. Quite a few of them originate from Pakistan and India. Another group are Lao Muslims and he said there are 200 of them. A small group are Muslims who are attached to the embassies here, such as Malaysia and Brunei.
He told KPL News on November 11 that he is happy to act as a guide to the Muslims who will be here in connection with the SEA Games and show them nice places in Vientiane. His contact number is: 020-5528-576.
More than 100 hundred Lao athletes will continue to train in Vientiane in preparation for the 25th SEA Games next month after successfully completing training programmes in neighbouring countries.
Members of the pencak silat, fin swimming and wrestling teams are currently training in Vietnam and will return to Vientiane this month.
The swimming squad is training in Bangkok , Thailand , while the taekwondo team (artistic style) is practising in the Republic of Korea and divers are preparing in Beijing , China . All will return to Vientiane by the end of this month.
Lao athletes are eager to perform well at their home games after improving their skills at training camps abroad over the past year.
It is expected the fin swimming, swimming and diving teams will struggle to win medals at the event because they have only had a short preparation period and lack experience at the international level.
However, the martial arts teams are expected to perform well at the games and the Lao Wrestling Federation currently has 11 male and three female athletes training in Vietnam .
A member of the Lao wrestling coaching team, Mr Manolom, said the federation will select a final squad for the games when the team returns to Laos .
The national shuttlecock team concluded a four month training camp in Hanoi , Vietnam , this month. During that time the team won a bronze medal at a Vietnamese national event and two silver and two bronze medals in the Asian Indoor Games.
The team was buoyed by their recent successes and are confident of claiming medals when their nation hosts the regional sporting event in December.
The boxing, archery, taekwondo, karatedo, and athletics teams are currently training at the National Sports Training Centre in Sikeud village, Naxaithong district.
The petanque, table tennis, volleyball and other squads are training at camps around Vientiane .
It is expected all 25 national teams competing in the games will be training in Vientiane by the end of this month.
During the games, the track and field, swimming, fin swimming, diving, volleyball and beach volleyball, badminton, tennis, football, archery and shooting events will all be held at the National Stadium in Xaythany district.
The billiards and snooker contests will be held at the Don Chan Palace hotel, while the boxing and wrestling events will be held in the Olympasia gymnasium at the National University of Laos Dongdok campus.
The university will also host the table tennis and petanque events, while the weightlifting will take place at the nearby Phonsavanh School in Dongdok village.
The golf event will take place at the SEA Games golf course in Phokham village, Xaythany district.
The judo and karatedo events will be contested at the Lao-Japan Budo Centre in Anou village, Chanthabouly district, while the sepak takraw, pencak silat, and wushu events will be held at the Lao-ITECC.
The muay (kick-boxing) and shuttlecock events are to be held at the indoor stadium in Beung Kha Ngong village.
The Lao National Sports Committee held a test run of the SEA Games welcoming ceremony last Tuesday.
Female students from the National University of Laos practised holding placards bearing the name of each of the 11 participant nations, to welcome the athletes at the start of their stay at the SEA Games Village from December 9 to 19.
Some 300 volunteers and liaison staff from the National University of Laos took part in the exercise.
The test run started at Wattay International Airport and continued at the SEA Games Village .
Sports committees and officials from the university, who will work during the games, also attended the practice event.
SEA Games Organising Committee Vice Chairman Dr Souvannarath Saignavong said the sports committee would be able to improve the welcoming ceremony after analysing the first practice session.
On November 26, the sports committee will hold the final practice session.
It will do a test run of the flag raising ceremony at the SEA Games Village on Thursday.
Practising the welcome ceremony will test public security and transportation.
Dr Souvannarath said it was very important because Lao leaders and athletic teams would be able to see how Laos will welcome other athletes at the village.
He said male and female speakers would be careful to pronounce the name of each country accurately.
During training at the village, Lao dancers practised their performance to welcome the athletes.
Vice Mayor of the village Ms Keomanivong Phimmasen said athletes from six countries would stay at the village.
The six countries were Brunei , Indonesia , Singapore , Thailand , Malaysia and Laos , she said.
There are 77 coaches and athletes from Brunei , 389 from Indonesia , 376 from Singapore , 829 from Thailand , 667 from Malaysia and 612 from Laos .
Mrs Keomanivong said the number of athletes from the five other countries would be confirmed by the sports committee this week.
The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) will raise the flags of the 11 participating countries at a ceremony to honour the 50th anniversary of the SEA Games Federation Committee at the SEA Games Village on December 8.
More than 4,000 athletes staying at the SEA Games Village are set to arrive in Vientiane in time for the ceremony. The village consists of eight 4-storey dormitories.
The flag raising ceremony for the 50th anniversary of the SEA Games Federation will be an important event.
This ceremony indicates that the athletes of the 11 countries have arrived at the village and will start preparing for the games.
As the host country Laos will stage performances and other activities on the opening night.
The National Stadium will not have a booth selling tickets for the SEA Games opening and closing ceremonies tickets, as there are only 1,000 tickets left, the Vongkhanty Construction Company has said.
The company is responsible for ticket sales.
Company President Phankham Vongkhanty said at a press conference yesterday that people who wanted a ticket should hurry to reserve and buy one because they would soon be sold out.
“The SEA Games Organising Committee agreed to officially distribute the tickets on Monday. We started selling them for 200,000 kip on November 9 by calling people who had booked to come and collect and pay for their tickets,” Mr Phankham said.
The company continued to distribute tickets but raised the price to 300,000 kip yesterday.
“We've done it like this so the distribution process won't become complicated,” Mr Phankham said.
He also said each ticket had a stamp from the Ministry of Public Security and a 3D hologram sticker of the 25th SEA Games logo.
People who come to collect their tickets should look through the hologram, Mr Phankham said.
If there is no hologram, the ticket is not authentic.
The company reported that more than 13,000 tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies had been printed.
There were 5,470 tickets costing 500,000 kip, 4,102 tickets costing 400,000 kip, 3,418 tickets costing 300,000 kip and 684 tickets costing 200,000 kip.
SEA Games Organising Committee Deputy Chairman Dr Phouthong Seng Akhom said prices were lower than those charged by countries hosting the SEA Games in pervious years.
“We have prepared a VIP area of about 4,500 seats, but the committee will prepare some more seats for senior government officials,” he said.
The company had alerted provincial administration offices throughout the country that they had tickets set aside for them, but there are some who have not yet confirmed they will be buying the tickets.
“Many sports officials who are coming from other provinces to prepare for the SEA Games had tickets to distribute in their provinces,” Mr Phankham said.
The company reiterated to the press that ticket sales would be closing soon, and people should buy tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies before they sold out.
Mr Phankham said if people could not purchase a ticket, they could watch the ceremonies on television.
Alternatively, the committee plans to install a large screen outside the stadium to broadcast the ceremonies for people who didn't get a ticket.
Tickets are currently selling for 400,000 kip and 500,000 kip.
Anyone interested should contact the company on +85621 260458 +85621 260458 or +85621 260459 +85621 260459.
By Souknilundon Southivongnorath (Latest Update Novembe 11 , 2009)
Sporting equipment will be installed at almost all SEA Games venues by the end of this month, according to the SEA Games Technical and Preparation for Sport Contingent Committee.
The badminton court is almost ready for SEA Games matches.
Vice Chairman of the committee, Mr Phouvan Vongsouthi, said yesterday that 90 percent of the required equipment has already been fitted at each venue, except for the billiards and snooker venue.
The committee reported that most of the sporting equipment is already in Laos , while the rest has been ordered and is yet to arrive from abroad.
Equipment for the archery, badminton, swimming, football, muay, taekwondo, karatedo and shuttlecock events has been ordered but is yet to arrive. It should be received and installed by the middle of this month.
Mr Phouvan said many venues are just waiting for final pieces of equipment, such as the shooting range where most equipment is already installed and just running targets are yet to be delivered from Germany .
“Equipment for the swimming event has already been provided by China , but we had to order some chemicals to treat the water from another country,” he said.
He said officials overseeing the wushu, sepak takraw and pencak silat events are waiting for the That Luang Festival fair to conclude at the Lao International Trade and Exhibition Convention Centre where those events will be held before they install equipment.
The committee confirmed that 25 sports will be contested at the games. There are 370 events in the programme with 1,239 medals on offer, consisting of 370 gold, 370 silver and 539 bronze medals.
Events will be held at six venues in Vientiane - the National Sports Complex at Km 16, National University of Laos' Sport Centre, Chao Anouvong Sports Centre, Lao-ITECC Sports Centre, Beungkhangong Sports Centre and the Don Chan Palace hotel.
The main complex will host the athletics, aquatics, archery, badminton, men's football, golf, shooting, tennis and volleyball (indoor and beach) events. The National University of Laos' Sports Centre will hold the boxing, women's football, petanque, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wrestling competitions.
Chao Anouvong will be the site for men's and women's football, judo and karate-do. Lao-ITECC will host the pencak silat, sepak takraw and wushu events. The Buengkhangong Sports Centre will see muay and shuttlecock action, and Don Chan Palace will hold the billiards and snooker events as well as serving as the start and finish points for the cycling races.
New Lao Hip hop song for the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos 2009, which is called "Go Laos Go" sung by Sam Intharaphithak, Nalin Daravong, and Kave. Enjoy the music !!!
(KPL) More than 320 track-and-field referees have been trained for serving the coming the 25th SEA Games, the biggest sporting event of Southeast Asia, which will be held in December this year.
The training was from 8 to12 October in Vientiane. The trainees underwent an intensive course by trainers from the International Track-and-Field Federation to ensure that their judgement conforms to international standards.
A trial competition to test the readiness of the national track-and-field athletes was also held at the National Stadium on Monday.
The National Track-and-Field Federation has also requested the 25th SEA Games? National Organising Committee to consider its facilitation of the federation?s personnel preparation for serving the 25th SEA Games.
Present at the closing ceremony of the training on Monday, were the Vice-President of the National Sport and Gymnastic Committee, Mr Somphou Phongsa, and over 80 trainees and relevant officials.
(KPL) The 25th SEA Games Organising Committees held a discussion on safety, rules of law and other matters during the SEA Games period.
The meeting was held on 13 October, under the chairmanship of the Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Somsavat Lengsavad, who is also President of the 25th SEA Games Organising Committee. The other people were Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom, President of the National Sports Committee and Deputy President of the 25th SEA Games Organising Committee and Professor Bosengkham Vongdala, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture.
When the meeting was in session, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad heard reports on the ongoing work and they discussed on cleaning routine of the new national stadium and the need to regularly check the water supply system.
Mr Somsavat also drew up a guideline on how the Lao and Chinese engineers should work together to ensure the continuous operation of the water system in the stadium. The President of the 25th SEA Games Organising Committee also heard about the progress of the construction of Buengkhagnong stadium, which was nearly completed and what was just left another 10 per cent of construction work.
Another report dealt with the cross country bicycle track, which had been completed. A group of people who were recruited as volunteer officials had gone through a training course and a report on their training and readiness was read out during this meeting.
During the SEA Games period there would be an urgent need to send visual and voice signals to the whole world and regarding this the IT State Enterprise of Thailand would be setting up its parabola antenna, with the cooperation of the Lao Telecom State Enterprise.
In connection with communication linkages, another report was read out and it stated that the construction of the road from Phontong to the National University of Laos had been almost completed and it was short of two per cent.
During this meeting, Mr Somsavat urged police officers to work hard and to be creative to ensure a smooth flow of traffic during the SEA Games period and related that there was a need to learn from the recent case of the occurrence of road accidents during the time of the four-nation football tournament.
The Vientiane Health Department is looking to raise awareness of disease prevention and fire safety in the lead-up to the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane this December.
Officials from the department met with print and electronic media representatives last Monday to discuss cooperation efforts to promote disease prevention and fire safety campaigns.
Media outlets have expressed willingness to work with the department to publish information on prevention and treatment of diseases.
Director of the department, Dr Inlavanh Keobounphanh, said active promotion of information on diseases and fire safety will provide a safe and secure SEA Games for participants and spectators.
She said the department will regularly communicate with media organisations to ensure that information on any potential disease threats is published quickly.
The Lao SEA Games Organising Committee is also working closely with the Ministry of Health to ensure there are no outbreaks of disease or viruses during the games.
The department has finished inspections of health standards at 60 percent of hotels and guesthouses in Vientiane in the lead-up to the games.
Five people have died from dengue fever in Vientiane this year, more than in recent years. However, Dr Inlavanh said there is currently no disease or virus that poses a major threat in Vientiane .
The department, which falls under the Ministry of Health, is responsible for several areas of preparation for the games, including inspecting hygiene standards at hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, and athletes' accommodation, as well as anti-doping, disease control, and food and drinking water standards.
The department will issue certification, ensuring ‘Good Environment, Good Service, Safe Food, Good Health', to hotels and restaurants that pass inspections carried out by health officials.
Dr Inlavanh said the department will also organise training courses on hygiene and safety standards for staff at hotels and restaurants to ensure they maintain the necessary benchmarks.
She said the inspections will mean overseas guests can rest easy knowing that hotels and restaurants reach certain standards and offer clean and hygienic food and facilities.
The games have also been announced a ‘smoke-free' event, further contributing to the health of athletes and spectators.
The Vientiane Urban Development and Administration Authority will install signs bearing the ‘No Smoking 25th SEA Games' slogan at the Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge and Wattay International Airport.
The Lao Sepak Takraw Federation and SEA Games committees have arranged a four-nations Sepak Takraw Test Tournament to give players a trial run and test their preparations for the games.
The federation held a press conference on Monday, urging the public to cheer on the players and give encouragement to all Lao participants in the event, scheduled for October 16 and 17.
Federation President Adsaphangthong Siphandone said the competing countries would be Malaysia , Thailand , Vietnam and Laos .
“Our objective is to test our players as well as the preparations of all the SEA Games committees involved. This will be another opportunity for our players to get more experience and the committees can also test out their arrangements and get some experience before the main event in December,” he said.
The tournament will comprise more than 80 people, including players and delegations from the participating countries. Events will consist of men's and women's doubles and men's and women's singles.
“We will follow the standard rules set by the Asian Sepak Takraw Federation. We'll also broadcast the tournament on Lao National Television and I hope everyone will cheer on our players,” Mr Ardsaphangthong said.
The Lao sepak takraw team recently competed in an international sepak takraw event held earlier this month in Vientiane , attended by teams from China , Japan , Malaysia , Laos , Thailand and Vietnam . Laos won two bronze medals in the men's doubles and singles events.
The Lao team also took part in the 24th King's Cup Sepak Takraw World Championships 2009 in Bangkok , Thailand , in July, in which 21 countries competed.
Laos won one gold medal in the women's singles, two silver medals in the men's and women's doubles, and a bronze medal in the men's doubles. At last year's King's Cup, Laos won three medals - one gold and two bronze.
More than 40 sepak takraw players, 21 men and 21 women, have been training at the Savannakhet Sepak Takraw Centre since April in preparation for the SEA Games.
SEA Games Technical Committee Chairman Phouvanh Vongsouthi said this week's tournament was important because it would allow all committees involved in the games to check the progress of their preparations. If any problems arose they would be able to address them and smooth out any glitches before the games in December.
Journalists at the press conference asked the federation whether the players taking part in this week's tournament would be those selected to compete in the SEA Games.
Federation Secretary Somsavath Phongsa said Laos would certainly be entering its SEA Games team and believed that Vietnam and Malaysia would do the same, but could not speak for Thailand .
“We actually invited eight countries to attend the tournament but we received only three positive responses,” he said.
