25th SEA Games, Laos

Photo:Mr Somsavat Lengsavad ( second left ) accepts funding from the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam and Hong Quang company of Vietnam at a handover ceremony in Vientiane yesterday. –Photo Khamphanh

The Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV) and the Vietnamese company Hong Quang have each presented about 850 million kip (US$100,000) to help fund the opening ceremony of the 25th SEA Games.

The handover ceremony took place on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Lao-Viet Bank in Vientiane yesterday.

Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, who is also the Chairman of the 25th SEA Games Organising Committee, accepted the funds from BIDV and Hong Quang on behalf of the Lao government.

BIDV Board of Directors Chairman Tran Bac Ha said it was part of the bank's commitment to the development of Laos .

“The bank is not only supporting the Lao-Viet Bank; we have also supported socio-economic development in Laos , including poverty reduction and education in the rural areas,” he said.

Mr Somsavat thanked Vietnam for supporting Laos in several fields of development, and the upcoming SEA Games in particular.

The 25th SEA Games is the first such event to be hosted by Laos , and the country hopes to produce some interesting surprises at the opening and closing ceremonies.

The organising committee has approved the date of the opening ceremony for December 9, while the closing ceremony will take place on December 18.

In regard to this year's SEA Games, the Vietnamese government has helped Laos by training athletes at Vietnamese camps.

Vietnam has also supported Laos by building an athletes' training centre in Vientiane at a cost of about 34 billion kip (US$4 million).

The centre, located in Sikeuth village, Naxaithong district, was officially opened earlier this year.

Another major SEA Games project receiving a grant and soft loan from the government of Vietnam is the athletes' village. The village is being built on a 42,000sqm site at the Dongdok campus of the National University of Laos. It is now 80 percent complete.

The government will spend more than 161 billion kip (US$19 million) on the project.

This amount comprises a loan of more than 127 billion kip (US$15 million) and a grant of 34 billion kip (US$4 million) from Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint Stock Co of Vietnam . The remainder comes in the form of a soft loan with no defined interest rate.



By Sisay Vilaysack

25th SEA Games is just around the corner, and the SEA Games committee are now working very hard to make sure that everything goes smoothly and is ready before the games kick off. In this topic, we will show you some update photos from the venues in Vientiane.


Main Stadium (15 May 09)




Swimming Pool (15 May 09)

Main Stadium's Entrance (15 May 09)


Shooting Rang 15 May 2009, Seating Capacity: 200


To be updated

Photo: Miss Vanphakone Insouvong ( right ) and Miss SEA Games representatives pose at the committee's office.

The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) will select 11 Miss SEA Games representatives at the committee's office on Saturday to carry placards bearing the names of the 11 countries participating in the 25th SEA Games.

The 11 ladies will parade the placards around the main stadium during the games in Vientiane in December.

They will be selected from a group of 100 selected by the Ministry of Information and Culture (MIC) last year.

The group is currently improving their general knowledge, awareness of Lao culture and dancing skills, and will dance to songs specially chosen for the games. They are also touring important sites around the capital.

Most of the group are students at the National University of Laos or other institutions in the capital.

At the committee's office on Saturday, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Buangeun Xaphouvong presented the group of 100 to LNSC Vice President Bualane Silypanya.

The LNSC will teach the ladies about the technical aspects of each sport to be contested at the games.

Mr Buangeun said the group had shown good patience with their training, were confident about performing in public and had a good knowledge of social and economic topics.

They were also culturally aware and knew how to behave with diplomatic guests after receiving training relating to appropriate attire, speech and presentation.

He said the group would be able to use their knowledge to ensure the games were a success and to gain future employment.

Mr Bualane said the ladies would work with more than 3,000 volunteers and liaison staff to ensure the games run smoothly.

The 3,000 volunteers and liaison staff are students and officials from the National University of Laos, colleges, schools and ministries in the capital.

Mr Bualane said the Miss SEA Games representatives would be involved in welcoming important guests and presenting medals to athletes.

One Miss SEA Games representative, Miss Vanphakone Insouvong, is confident of her ability to carry out her duties after receiving training from the MIC.

She was very proud to represent the Lao people at this historic event, which would be a good opportunity for Laos to show it could host future international sporting events.

She said she was ready to be involved in the games and hoped to be one of the 11 selected to participate in the opening and closing ceremonies.

Miss Vanphakone lives in Donekoy village in Sisattanak district. She is currently in her fifth year of a degree in dentistry at the University of Health Sciences .

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes

(KPL) More than Ninety per cent of the construction of the stadium to be used to inaugurate the 25th SEA Games has been completed.

The report on its progress was made during a meeting of organizing committees for 25th SEA Games in the Prime Minister?s Office and under the chairmanship of Standing Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad, on 23 May.

Another report announced during this meeting was the completion of a road that ran around the stadium but another road, scheduled to be completed by next month, would run around the campus of the local university.

The two stretches of road cost 684 million kip and 8 billion kip respectively.
In addition, road works in other locations are being carried out but they are expected to be completed before the commencement of the 25th SEA Games in December.
The new stadium, designed to accommodate 20,000 people, is now being fitted with decorations and its completion date could be as soon as September.

Other stadiums that will be used for sporting events for the coming 25th SEA Games will be equipped with new sports equipment and they will undergo tests next month.

Various Lao sporting committees and federations on Friday joined local media to view progress on the construction of the 20,000-seat 25th SEA Games stadium in Dongsanghin village, Xaythany district, Vientiane .

Construction of the game's main stadium is now 90 percent complete and the construction company expects to hand over the facility to the Lao government in September.

Minister to the Prime Minister's Office and President of the Lao National Sports Committee, Dr Phouthong Seng Akhom, told media the stadium would be finished soon and the construction company will furnish and clean it before handing it over.

“More than 10 different events will be held at the stadium, including indoor and outdoor sports. The stadium is the first international standard stadium in Laos and will also host the opening and closing ceremonies for the games,” he said.

He said rumours that construction of facilities for the games will not be ready in time are untrue, as the main stadium is now 90 percent complete and overall preparations for the games are 80 percent complete.



Other indoor and outdoor courts at Chao-anouvong stadium in Anou village, Chanthabouly district, the International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre, Beungkhayong stadium and facilities at the National University of Laos are also close to completion and are waiting to be fitted out with sports equipment.



Committees have been formed to oversee hospitality, transportation, travel arrangements and security during the games. They include representatives from the ministries of Public Works and Transport, Health, Public Security, and Information and Culture, the Lao National Tourism Administration and other organisations.

“We have received reports from each committee regarding their preparation efforts and some areas are close to completion while others need further work,” Dr Phouthong said.

The 25th SEA Games will take place from December 9 to 18, involving 390 events in the 25 sports of athletics, swimming, archery, badminton, snooker and billiards, muay, cycling, football, golf, judo, karatedo, sepak takraw, shooting, tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, wrestling, weightlifting, boxing, pencak silat, petanque, fin swimming, diving and shuttlecock.

Athletes from Laos , Vietnam , Cambodia , Brunei , Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia , Myanmar , the Philippines , Singapore and Timor Leste will take part.

By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

(KPL) Up to date, the construction of the SEA Games Stadium, located at Km16 in Saythany district , an important facility to be used for the opening and closing ceremonies of this regional sporting event, has achieved 90 per cent completion and this was said by the Head of SEA Game?s Stadium Construction Project, Mr Khiengkham Phoutchanthavongsa on 14 May.

Minister to Prime Minister?s Office, President of National Sports Committee and Vice President of SEA Game?s Organising Committee, Dr Phouthong Seng-Akhom who visited the SEA Games 2009 Stadium said that the rest of the work are the entire decoration of the stadium, electrical installation and the laying of carpet grass.

Dr Phouthong said, ?Some people don?t understand the entire process and mistakenly believe the construction will not be completed before the games, but since 90 per cent of it has been completed so that the handover date can be as early as September.

Other indoor and outdoor courts, located in Chao-Anouvong stadium in Anou village, Chanthaboury district, International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre, Beungkhayong stadium and National University of Laos are all at the stage of near completion.

(KPL) The preparation for 25th South East Asia Games which will be hosted by Laos at the end of this year, has so far nearly completed, especially the renovation of stadiums and roads in urban area.

Photo: Sketch of the main stadium to be used for the opening and closing ceremony of 25th SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos 2009. The stadium has 8 lanes synthetic track with facilities for all standard Athletics events.


Photo: New aquatic stadium for the 25th SEA GAMEs. This swimming pool has 2 floors, with the seating capacity of 2,000 !!!


Photo: Lao Gymnasium with the seating capacity of 2,200


Photo: Shooting Rang with the seating capacity of 200.

More update news about 25th SEA GAMES will be posted here. Stay tuned !

Phetchampa Advertising Co., Ltd. has been entrusted by the Lao 25th SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) to run the games' marketing programme.

The company held a workshop on Saturday in Vientiane to discuss marketing activities relating to the games. Laos will host the games in Vientiane from December 9-18, which will be sponsored by 11 companies from Laos and Thailand .

The workshop was attended by Phetchampa Advertising Co., Ltd. President and Chairman of the LAOSOC Marketing Sub-Committee, Mr Khammoui Keomany, and representatives from the sponsoring companies.

Sponsors include Lao Brewery Co. Ltd., Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Co. Ltd., Lao Soft Drink Co. Ltd., PTT Public Co. Ltd., TOT Public, CAT Telecom Public, TRT Intertrade, Mikasa Industries (Thailand), TK Logistic and Supply Chain (Thailand), President Grand, and P and C World Class.

Mr Khammoui said some companies had already signed a marketing agreement and others would sign in the future.

The agreements mean the companies can set up booths in the sports complex and other sports venues during the games, and can advertise their products in the main stadium.

Vice Chairman of the 25th SEA Games Marketing Committee Sub-Committee, Dr Santiparb Tejavanija, said sponsors would be able to sell goods bearing the games' mascots Champa and Champi and pictures of That Luang.

The companies will also benefit from booths set up at the media centre and the attention they attract from Lao and foreign reporters.

Some 1,200 overseas personnel will report on the games, with 700 hours being allocated for TV broadcasting rights. There will be 390 events in 25 sports.

Phetchampa Advertising Co., Ltd. held a meeting in Vientiane on March 26 to discuss the live broadcasts on 16 television channels in seven countries.

Reports will be carried on Brunei radio and television, Lao National Radio and Lao National Television, Lao Star Channel, Forever Group Co., Ltd. (FRTB4-Myanmar), RTM from Malaysia and Media Corp TV Singapore Pte. Ltd. In Thailand , the games will be aired on the National Broadcasting Service of Thailand, TPBS, Channel 7, Channel 5, VTC Digital-Vietnam, VTV, TOT Co., Ltd, and CAT Telecom Co., Ltd.

Laos will use about 16 mobile broadcasting vans to cover all sports venues and will employ more than 144 people to work as cameramen and producers. The budget for the management of TV broadcasting is about 34 billion kip (US$4 million).

Vientianetimes

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