25th SEA Games, Laos

Photo: New stadium in Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang and Champassak provinces are repairing their football stadiums and other locations required for use during the 25 th SEA Games, to be held in Laos next year.

The Lao National Sports Committee has selected the two provinces to host the football events, and is urging them to have everything ready in time.

Two years ago the sports committee agreed Savannakhet province would stage the men's football matches, because there was a new stadium of the required standard and a seating capacity of 15,000.

The province had earlier hosted the 7 th National Games in 2005.

But it was later realised it would be difficult for spectators to travel to Savannakhet province as transport there was less reliable, according to an official in Vientiane last month.

The committee has since agreed to stage the matches in Champassak province, because of its better transport, including a larger airport.

Champassak has been allocated more than 7 billion kip for stadium improvements, to bring seating capacity up to 13,000. Work began in February in 2007 and is slated for completion in September.

The province will also host the 8 th National Games in December.

The committee will also grant more than 26 billion kip (US$30 million) to Luang Prabang province to repair the old football stadium, and will build new football training fields to be used for the SEA Games' women's football matches.

This work will begin in June and expand seating in the stadium to a capacity of 10,000. The stadium was originally built in 1996 for the 5 th National Games.

Luang Prabang is still awaiting 7 billion kip from the government to improve a 4.5km road around the stadium, and provide adequate transport for visitors to the city during the football events.

“We have received about 5 billion kip for road repairs from the Thai government,” said the Director of the Public Works and Transport Division, Mr Fasananh Thammavong.

Most of the construction is in the vicinity of Phousy market and is taking place from March to August.

There are plenty of parking spaces nearby, on a piece of land 1km long and 400m wide.

The airport, which was renovated in 2000, is expected to be able to cope with the increased passenger load.

“We received more than 55 billion kip from the Thai government to renovate the old airport,” said Mr Fasananh.

Source: Vientianetimes

Lao people living across the country will have a chance to see Live broadcast of the 25th SEA GAMES thanks to the cooperation between the Lao national televition and the Lao star channel.



The 25th SEA Games is tentatively set at December 13-21 in Vientiane, Laos. The other areas of focus will be at Luangprabang and Savannakhet province.

At present, $46-million is set for the main stadium, $6 million for the training facility and a new hotel to house an expected figure of 2,500 athletes from 11 southeast asian nations.

Photo: Official mascot for the 25th SEA Games in Laos

Champa and Champi very pleased that our country “Lao PDR” has an opportunity to play host for Coming 25th SEA Games in the year 2009, which shall be the first times ever for our country .we, therefore, would like to take this opportunity to welcome our SEA Games Families and friends from various countries to visit “Laos”. Our country is full natural resources, green environment, national and natural cultures with variety of tourist destination. We, both Champa and Champi, shall assure all of our friends who shall visit us during this SEA Games, our best hospitalities and generosities.

We have full confidence that our friends shall have the most impression of our country “Laos”. This 25th SEA Games 2009 which is considered as the most spectacular multi-sports festival of this region shall certainly harmonized the frien-ship, international relationship, sincerity and joyfulness among our ASEAN member countries.

Don’t forget! Come and visit us in December 2009.
See you in the coming 25th SEA Games 2009.

Sabaidee

A taekwondo training centre and the new "Olympasia" indoor stadium at the National University of Laos will house the wrestling and sepak takraw events at the 25 th SEA Games in Vientiane in 2009.

The Booyoung Company from the Republic of Korea donated US$300,000 (about 2.7 billion kip) in July last year to the Lao National Sports Committee to finance the construction of the taekwondo training centre.

The Lao National Sports Committee is overseeing the building of the training centre, which is scheduled for completion in April this year.

The Lao taekwondo team will train there in preparation for the 25 th SEA Games.

However, work on the Olympasia indoor stadium has come to a halt due to budget constraints.

Its construction was planned in two phases, with the first from January to June, 2006, at a cost of US$140,000 (about 1.2 billion kip).

When more funding is secured, it is planned that the stadium will seat 700. It will be 36 metres wide and 42 metres in length, with a height of 18 metres.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

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.

Photo of indoor stadium, National University of Laos. This photo was taken during the International Table tenis competition in Vientiane. Laos will host a major international competition in 2009: the South East Asia (SEA) Games where table tennis will be one of the events.