25th SEA Games, Laos

(KPL) The Public Health Service of Yunnan Province, China, presented two ambulances and medical equipment, totally worth one billion yuans, to support the service of Lao medical staffs during the 25th SEA Games, to be held in Vientiane next month.

The handover ceremony for the package was held on Tuesday at the National Sports Committee Office in Vientiane and was witnessed by Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Somsavat Lengsavad, and Chinese Ambassador, Mr. Pan Quangxue, among others.

The package was handed by Ms. Xu Heping, Deputy Head of Public Health Service of Yunnan province, and received by Dr. Eksavang Vongvichith, Deputy Minister of Public Health of the Lao PDR.

Photo: Khotsaya, Lao football player is now training in Vietnam

Eleven Lao sports squads are currently training for the 25th SEA Games in foreign countries.

These training camps are expected to provide additional coaching techniques and competition experience to help build confidence and bring Lao sporting teams up to international standard.

Lao athletes training in other countries say the camps improve their motivation as well as their skills and they are pleased they will be stronger competitors for their country when it hosts the games.

At the last SEA Games in Thailand in 2007, many of the Lao teams that had trained overseas were more successful than those that had not.

Vietnam has been an important supporter of Laos in providing advisors and training facilities. Sixteen Lao wrestlers and their trainers have been training in Vietnam since April, while 20 pencak silat fighters are also currently training there.

Other Lao teams to train in Vietnam include seven divers, who are there from June to August, as well as 14 swimmers training from April to August.

Thirty-four male footballers are training in Vietnam from July to November, while some wushu san shou fighters are there from May to November. Another group of wushu san shou and wushu tao lu teams are training in China from August to October.

Five Lao female cyclists trained in Malaysia from July to August and participated in international competitions before returning to Vientiane . Five male cyclists also trained in Malaysia for one month recently.

Fourteen Lao taekwondo fighters have been training in South Korea since June and are expected back in November, while six wrestlers are training in Mongolia from April to September.

Eighteen karatedo fighters and their trainers have arrived back in Vientiane after training in Vietnam recently.

Sixteen judo fighters and trainers are training in Vietnam from August until November.

Some members of the Lao boxing team are in Milan , Italy from August to September. The boxers will fight in the World Championships in Milan before returning to Laos .

Twenty Lao shuttle cock players are training in Vietnam from August to October.

Currently, four Thai trainers are training the Lao athletics team for the track and field events at the games.

The men's football squad is under the guidance of an Austrian coach.

After returning from the training camps in other countries, the athletes will continue their training in camps in Vientiane .

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

The Lao men's volleyball team will train in China for one month in the lead-up to the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane later this year.

The team will commence their training camp in August or October.

The team's leader, Mr Khampheng Mitpaxa said the team will use the training camp to improve their techniques and tactics.

Mr Khampheng said the Lao Volleyball Federation will organise an international tournament in Vientiane in the lead-up to the games.

He said the federation is struggling with funding to organise both the tournament and the volleyball event during the SEA Games.

The Lao volleyball teams lack experience at the international level and will struggle to get past the first round of the event at the games, he said.

The male and female national volleyball teams are currently training hard at indoor courts in Nongtha village under the guidance of Chinese coach Mr Yin Ming.

The teams will soon commence training at the indoor stadium in Xaythany district two days per week after the Lao National Sports Committee finished its final inspections of the stadium recently.

The teams will use the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the stadium which will host the volleyball event during the games.

The federation plans to send both teams to train in Vietnam after the men's team return from China and will select two teams of twelve apiece to compete in the SEA Games.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

The Lao wushu team will strengthen their tactics in Vietnam and China from July to September with the aim of winning gold medals at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane this December.

The Lao Wushu Federation will send both male and female fighters to train in Vietnam and some male fighters to train in China .

The 16-member squad is currently training at the National Sports Training Centre in Sikeuth village, Naxaithong district. The team includes new members and some competitors who were successful at the previous SEA Games in Thailand in 2007.

The squad is under the guidance of Chinese coach Mr Cui Jian Gong and assistant coaches Mr Vanxay Oudomphon and Mr Phoukhong Khamsounthone.

Mr Cui began training the team on May 9 and will lead them to the games.

Mr Cui, who is from Beijing , has previously coached Italian and Japanese wushu teams.

Mr Vanxay was a bronze medallist in the 60kg category at the 19th SEA Games, held in Indonesia in 1997, and won a bronze medal at the 21st SEA Games in Malaysia in 2001, as well as a bronze medal at the 14th Asian Games in Busan , South Korea , in 2002.

Mr Phoukhong won bronze medals in the 52kg division at the 19th SEA Games and the 14th Asian Games.

The federation's Secretary General, Mr Sitha Chuyapaseuth, said a final squad of nine will be selected to participate in the games.

At the last SEA Games the Lao wushu team won one silver and two bronze medals.

The team was trained by Chinese coach Mr Zhang Shugen from 2001 to 2005, and Mr Weiting Feng from 2001 to mid 2009.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

Two professional volleyball coaches from China are helping the Lao men's and women's volleyball and beach volleyball teams to prepare for the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane in December.

The coaches, Mr Yin Ming and Mrs Qin Wensui, are former Chinese national volleyball representatives and have both coached popular clubs in China .

Mr Yin, who works for the Beijing City Sports Office, arrived in Vientiane last week and will train the men's and women's volleyball teams.

Mrs Qin comes from the Beijing City Club and arrived in Vientiane last month to train the men's and women's beach volleyball teams.

Secretary of the Lao Volleyball Federation, Mr Sychan Chitpanya, said the federation received assistant from the Chinese government to support the teams in their preparation for the games.

The coaches will lead the teams until after the games. This is the first time the Lao national teams have been trained by a foreign coach.

The teams will find it challenging to win a medal at the games as they lack experience at the international level and have not had a regular training programme in the past. Mrs Qin is currently training the men's and women's beach volleyball teams at the Sports Training Centre in Sikeuth district.

The volleyball teams have been training at the Nongtha village indoor courts in Chanthabouly district since March.

When the indoor stadium at Dongsanghin village in Xaythany district (Km16) is finished in October the volleyball teams will begin training there.

There are presently 15 men and 15 women players training with the squad, but the federation will select two final squads of 12 players each to compete at the games.

The teams will travel to Vietnam and Thailand for training in July and August, when they will also compete in friendly matches against those countries.

At a friendly tournament in Phnom Penh , Cambodia , last week, the women's beach volleyball team was defeated 2-0 in each of their matches against Cambodia and Vietnam .

Players in all the squads come from the Vientiane , Xieng Khuang, Borikhamxay, Savannakhet and Champassak provincial teams as well as the Ministry of National Defence team. They were selected after the eighth National Games held in Champassak province last December.


By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes