25th SEA Games, Laos

The printers are rolling and now SEA Games ticket producers are waiting for the Marketing and Benefit Committee to allow the distribution of tickets, Vongkhanty Construction Company confirmed yesterday.

Company President Phankham Vongkhanty told the press the company had already printed opening and closing ceremonies tickets.

However, there had been a need to change some sponsors positions on the tickets, then reprint them again.

They are now waiting for the committee's agreement to begin distribution of the reprinted tickets.

The company had promised to produce the tickets by the middle of October and distribute them from October 20.

However, issuance of tickets has been postponed due to incorrect sponsor positioning in the design of the ticket.

Distribution of the replacements now awaits the decision of the Marketing and Benefit Committee.

“Another reason for the delay is that the committee wants to make sure the tickets can't be copied by unscrupulous groups of people. I can confirm this is not possible,” Mr Phankham said.

Since early October the company has been printing the opening and closing ceremony tickets and sent them to the committee for inspection.

The committee called on the company to change the positions of sponsors listed on the tickets.

“We had already printed some tickets before they were viewed and edited by the committee.”

“Now we've made a new design and have got them printed, so we're just waiting for permission from the committee to allow us to begin distribution,” Mr Phankham said.

As they wait, the company has ordered 3D hologram stickers to attach to the tickets to prevent them being copied.

However, the company isn't sure if the stickers will be finished in time for distribution.

Mr Phankham said the committee advised that the tickets must also have a stamp from Ministry of Public Security with the sticker.

“If the stickers aren't complete, we will use only the stamp,” he said.

“Don't worry, because we have many identifiers which help us to tell the difference between a genuine and a fake ticket.”

The company reported that more than 13,000 tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies will be printed: 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.

“I can guarantee that there are 3,000 tickets costing 500,000 and 400,000 kip still left - the rest have already been reserved.”

“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.

Mr Phankham also gave some hope to potential spectators without tickets.

He said if a person who reserved a ticket didn't pay on time, the reserved tickets would be sold to others.

Recently, a neighbouring country's media outlets reported that tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies were very expensive.

However, 25th SEA Games Organising Committee Deputy Chairman Dr Phouthong Seng Akhom said prices were lower than those charged by countries hosting the SEA Games in previous years.


By Souknilundon Southivongnorath

Vientianetimes

(KPL) Thirty per cent of tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 25th SEA Games have already been booked by authorities of ministries and state and domestic and foreign private sectors.

Mr. Phankham Vongkanthi, Director of the Vongkanthi Construction Company, SEA Games Ticket Agent, said last week that after the company signed a concession for distributing the tickets of the 25th SEA Games, the tickets have been already booked by 30 percent. Tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies of the 25th SEA Games, at the new complex stadium, Dong Sang-hine village (at KM 16), Saythany district, Vientiane Capital, are available for sale with 500,000 kip of VIP seat, 400,000 kip for type B seat, 300,000 kip for type C and 200,000 kip for type D.

Here are the prices of tickets to different sport events. Tickets for football matches, for both male and female, cost 100,000 kip, 70,000 kip and 50,000kip, respectively.

The tickets to boxing event at Beungkayong indoor stadium is 50,000 kip per person. And the tickets to other kinds of sports cost 30,000 kip and 20,000 kip per person.For further information, interested people can call 021 260 458, 260459, or 020 6990635, the Ticket Sales Office of the 25th SEA Games, at the Sibounheuang village, Chanthaboury district, Vientiane Capital.The tickets will be on sale on 20 October and at the venues.

All tickets issued for the 25th SEA Games in December will have design features that will make them impossible to copy, according to the Vongkhanty Construction Company yesterday.

Company President Phankham Vongkhanty said the company had a concession to print and distribute all tickets including those for the opening and closing ceremonies, and security against counterfeits would have the highest priority.

“We are working closely with the Ministry of Public Security on ways to make all tickets secure, but we will not reveal what these are. It will be easy for our staff to know which ones are real and which are fake,” Mr Phankham said.

He said the company will organise a training course for staff who will check all tickets before spectators enter a stadium. “They just have to look at the ticket and can tell straight away if it's real or fake.”

“Now we are doing research on the numbers of tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies as well as to sporting events. We need to know the number of standard and premium tickets.”

Mr Phankham said the Marketing and Benefit Committee had had orders from almost 10,000 people for tickets to the opening and closing ceremonies but the exact number was not yet known.

The company says there are four different ticket prices: 200,000 kip, 300,000 kip, 400,000 kip and 500,000 kip.

Tickets to events will have prices depending on the popularity of the sport, with prices ranging from 100,000 to 300,000 kip.

“Football is very popular so these tickets will be more expensive. Boxing and other events will have another price but events will be free if there are few spectators. We strongly encourage local spectators to come and watch the less popular sports as well,” he said.

The company reported that entry to cycling, golf, billiards, snooker, athletics, petanque, weightlifting and archery events will be free.

“We are moving to new offices so our fax, telephone and email details will be available soon,” Mr Phankham said.

The company explained how tickets could be booked by fax and email. Central and provincial government officials, people and businesses should contact the company or the SEA Games Marketing and Benefit Committee in Vientiane to reserve tickets.

Mr Phankham said Lao residents and foreigners interested in buying tickets should contact the committee or the company.

“If there are a lot of people wanting to come from overseas they should contact a Lao embassy but a small group can contact a relative here to make a reservation for popular events.”

The games will take place from December 9 to 18 in Vientiane , and will comprise 383 events in 25 sports.

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





By Souknilundon Southivongnorath

Vientianetimes

The 25th SEA Games Marketing and Benefit Committee (SEAGMBC) officially announced ticket prices for all sports and the sell will be start early September 2009.

The price for all sports are as follow: (1$ = 8,500 Kip)

- VIP seats are reserved for leaders and government's guests
- Type A seat: 500,000 Kip
- Tpye B seat: 400,000 Kip
- Tpye C seat: 300,000 Kip
- Tpye D seat: 200,000 Kip

Tickets for all kinds of sports
Football (Men/Women, Quarter final)
- Football : 70,000 Kip (under the roof)
- Football : 50,000 Kip

Football (Men/Women, Semi final)
- Football : 100,000 Kip (under the roof)
- Football : 70,000 Kip

Badminton (KM 16)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Swimming (KM 16)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Boxing (Beungkayong stadium)
- Fixed price: 50,000 Kip

Pencak Silat, Sepak Takraw, Table tennis, Wushu (Lao ITECC)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Shuttle cock (Beungkayong stadium)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Judo, Karate-do (Anounvong stadium)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Tennis (KM 16)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Volleyball (KM 16)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Shooting (KM 16)
- Fixed price: 30,000 Kip

Teakuando (National university of Laos)
- Fixed price: 20,000 Kip

Wrestling (National university of Laos)
- Fixed price: 20,000 Kip

Free entrance

- Cycling (Victory gate > Tadxon > Dansoung )
- Goft (KM 18)
- Billiards / snooker (Donchanh Palace hotel)
- Athleticss: Track & Field(KM 16)
- Petanque (National University of Laos)
- Weightlifting (National University of Laos, Phonsavanh school)
- Archery (KM 16)

Parking
- Car: 20,000 Kip
- Motobike: 10,000 Kip



Source: ECOM

(KPL) People who would like to touch the real atmosphere of opening ceremony of the 25th SEA Games have to fork out at least 200,000 kip (US$25) per ticket while highest cost may be 500,000 kip per ticket (about US$50).

The price was discussed at a meeting held on 3 July, Vientiane, under the Mr Chanpheng Silattana, Deputy President of the Lao Olympic Committee.

Four types of tickets are available for sale respectively 500,000 kip, 400,000 kip, 300,000 kip and 200,000 kip. Now the tickets are on sale at the National Acrobatic Committee Office, Vientiane.

Many sport events include bicycle, golf, petanque, snooker, track-and-field, weigh lifting and archery will be free of charge.

Tickets to both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 25th SEA Games will cost 500,000 Kips (US$58), according to the Lao National Sport committee (LNSC).



Source: vientianetimes

During the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane , to run from December 9-18, action will be broadcast live on 14 television channels in six countries.

A meeting took place in Vientiane yesterday to discuss TV broadcasting fees and copyright.

Television networks that have agreed in principle to broadcast the SEA Games live are Brunei Radio and Television, Lao National Radio and Lao National Television, Lao Star Channel, Forever Group Co. Ltd (FRTB4-Myanmar), Media Corp TV Singapore Pte. Ltd, National Broadcasting Service of Thailand (NBT), TPBS, Channel 7, Channel 5, VTC Digital-Vietnam, VTV, TOT Co. Ltd., and CAT Telecom Co. Ltd.

The Phetchampa Advertising Company (PAC) is representing the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) and hosted the TV broadcasting rights meeting on duties and copyright for broadcasting in six Asean countries.

Vice President of the Lao National Olympic Committee, Mr Chanpheng Silattana, representatives from LAOSOC and from Asean countries attended the meeting.

PAC Director, Mr Khammoui Keomany, said he was looking forward to cooperating with LAOSOC and the Lao people to successfully selling TV broadcasting rights for the games.

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

On the same day, LAOSOC officials reported progress on the sports complex and many other venues that are yet to be completed.

Venues include the main sports complex, indoor stadiums at the National University of Laos, the Chao-Anou football stadium, the Lao-ITECC arena and the Bungkha-nhong indoor stadium.

The venues are being built with the installation of broadcasting facilities in mind as provision of broadcasting equipment at each venue is a requirement for hosting the games. The national football stadium at Dongsanghin village in Xaythany district will be inspected and tested in June by LAOSOC before hosting the games' opening and closing ceremonies in December.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes