Ten-times overall champions of the SEA Games offer the most money for winning a SEA Games gold with their winning athletes set to receive 200,000 baht (US$6,000) each. According to the National Sports Development Fund's scheme, the silver medallist will take 100,000 baht (US$3,000) and a bronze winner 50,000 baht (US$1,500). But it is not only the athletes who will enjoy the benefits, sports associations will also be rewarded where they will receive 60,000 baht (US$1,800) for each gold medal, 30,000 baht (US$900) for a silver and 15,000 baht (US$450) for a bronze.
The coaches will get 40,000 baht (US$1,200) for a gold, 20,000 (US$600) for a silver and 10,000 baht (US$30) for a bronze. In all, the Fund will have to pay a total of around 300,000 baht (US$9,000) for every gold medal won. 'It is quite a high sum compared to that offered by other countries,'' said Thai official Sakol Wannapong. But it is not easy to lower the bonus because this would face opposition from the sports associations.
For the SEA Games in Laos, the Thais are targetting 100 gold medals from the 377 at stake. In the meantime, Indonesia have allocated a fixed sum for all their successful athletes where should they meet their target of 62 gold medals, each gold medallist will get 50 million rupiah (US$9,000). Singapore will give a bonus to only the gold winners - with a carrot of S$10,000 (US$7,000) with a further US$3,500 for additional gold medals won.
A record-breaking feat will earn Singapore athletes US$3,500. For hosts Laos who target 25 gold medals, the Lao Telecommunications Company (LTC) will provide 30 million kip (US$3,600) for a gold medal, 20 million kip (US$2,400) for a silver medallist and 10 million kip (US$1,200) for a bronze medallist.
On the other hand, Cambodia's gold medal winners have been promised 24 million riel (US$6,000) and the coach will get the same amount. For winning the silver, an athlete will take home 16 million riel (US$3,800) with 8 million riel (US$1,900) for bronze.
Vietnam will pay a gold winner US$1,500 each with Myanmar paying the same US$1,500 while a Philippine champion will get 300,000 peso (about US$4,700) each.
Vientiane Labour and Social Welfare Service has assigned direct call numbers for tracing beggars to ensure keeping orderliness within Vientiane capital during the 25th SEA Games which will fall on 9-18 December this year.
Individuals can inform village authorities, security officers stationed in nearby village clusters or dial or and 56 17 044 if they see beggars within the capital, said on Tuesday Mr. Khonesavanh Phommadouang, Head of Social Welfare Division, Vientiane Labour and Social Welfare Service.
Mr. Khonesavanh said that committees for dealing with beggars had been established at central and district levels as well as a taskforce to work with public security officers and grassroots political strengthening units in village clusters across the capital. According to Mr. Khonesavanh, beggars who are arrested will be sent back to their hometowns or to a detention centre at Somsa-nga village which currently houses 22 beggars from Vientiane province and Vientiane capita
The Lao SEA Games Organising Committee held a fund raising dinner at Lao-ITECC on Friday in support of the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane this December.
The committee netted donations totalling over 900 million kip and US$358,000 respectively in cheques, 116.9 million kip and US$132,000 in cash, and equipment worth over US$300,000 from local and foreign businesses attending the dinner.
The biggest contribution came from Chinese investors Golden Boten City Co., Ltd., who donated US$160,000 (more than 1 billion kip).
The event was attended by Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the SEA Games Committee, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, sports officials and company representatives.
Mr Somsavat thanked the guests for their valued contributions to the games and expressed his confidence in the success of the tournament thanks to such support.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the SEA Games Federation. Although Laos has been involved in the games since the beginning, this is the first time the country has been given the chance to host the prestigious event.
Mr Somsavat said the level of sports being played in Laos had improved to the point where the country was ready to take on the competition, and event organising had also reached the required standard.
The games have been organised through a combined effort by the Lao government and neighbouring countries with the assistance of many local and foreign companies.
Mr Somsavat expressed his satisfaction that the necessary infrastructure would be completed in time for the event, and urged the continued support of all Lao people including those living overseas in the lead-up to the games.
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.
(KPL) Though many sports bodies are short of cash but they are determined to send as many athletes as they can to for training at the Sports Training Centre, Sikeuth village, Naxaithong district.
They are also scouting for other training facilities in Vientiane and the prospect of sending athletes to be trained in neighbouring countries and all such efforts on their part are to give the promising Lao athletes the best preparation to compete in the coming SEA Games at the end of the year.
These problems were brought out during a meeting held in the Prime Ministers Office on 30 ApriL and its main theme is to discuss and make decisions on the progress report of the work of the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) and the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC).
The meeting was attended by Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of LAOSOC, Mr Somsavat Lengsavad, LNSC President, Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom, heads of sports bodies and senior officials from LNSC.
During this meeting all the sports bodies that are training athletes to compete for the coming SEA Games submitted proposals on their funding needs to LNSC.
On this occasion, Mr Somsavat said he was focused on using seven billion kip budget to buy sports equipment, to give allowances to athletes, to pay money to athletes for taking part in practice sessions and for other reasonable obligations.
Currently, various sports bodies, such as tennis, golf, karatedo, judo, muay lao and taekwondo are being funded by companies and international organisations.
However, there are sports bodies that do not have any company sponsor and they are searching high and low for sponsors to get funding and two of them are national women?s football team and Lao Cycling Federation.
Referring to the good work of the sports bodies, Mr Somsavat said they are always on the lookout to give assistance to athletes who have problems with their education and family.
Taking this into consideration, he added that the sports bodies are bent on doing their level best to give the athletes top notch preparation for the SEA Games and hopefully to win medals for Laos.
Mr Somsavat also said that while the national sepak takraw squad is currently training in Savannakhet province but there is a plan to transfer its centralized training venue, from October onwards, to the indoor stadium of Lao-ITECC, Vientiane.
Mr Vilay Douangmany (left) and Mr Kerrod Thomas shake hands at the Lao National Sports Committee office.
Seven male and five female Lao taekwondo fighters will be aiming to win at least two gold medals at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane next year.
The ANZ Vientiane Commercial Bank will provide funding to assist the Lao taekwondo team from this December up until the SEA Games.
The squad has been training at the national camp in Vientiane under the instruction of Mr Kim, a South Korean taekwondo trainer, since the middle of this year.
The Lao Taekwondo Federation held a signing ceremony with federation President, Mr Vilay Douangmany, and ANZ Vientiane Manager Director, Mr Kerrod Thomas, at the Lao National Sports Committee office yesterday. The event was attended by committee officials and Lao taekwondo fighters.
Mr Vilay thanked the bank for sponsoring the taekwondo team and expressed confidence the team would win gold medals at the games.
Mr Kerrod said taekwondo was popular in Laos and many young people were becoming interested in the sport after Lao fighters won medals in international events last year.
The federation will select the best fighters from the eighth National Games to be held in Champassak province in December to participate in the SEA Games.
The national squad will train in South Korea early next year.
The taekwondo event at the SEA Games will have eight men's categories (54kg and 58-84kg) and eight women's categories (47kg and 51-72kg).
The federation's best male fighter is Mr Savathvilay Phimmasone, who won a bronze medal in the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Zhengzhou district, China , last May.
At the 24th SEA Games in Thailand last December, the Lao national team won one silver medal and five bronze medals.
