25th SEA Games, Laos

Sports fans throughout Laos can now buy clothing items to wear at the 25th SEA Games, which will be held in Vientiane in December.

Spectators are particularly urged to wear the clothing when they attend the games' opening ceremony and can choose from jerseys, jackets and shorts.

The garments feature logos of iconic Lao symbols including That Luang stupa, Champa (the male elephant mascot) and Champi (the female elephant mascot) .

The clothes are available at the Stadium Sports Centre in a variety of colours and styles. Shorts sell for 32,000 kip, jerseys for 50,000 kip and jackets for 108,000 kip.

The centre's Manager, Mr Viengsavanh Sengchanh, said the garments were already proving popular with Vientiane residents.

The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) has engaged the Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Company (FBT) to produce official clothing for the games, under a contract worth 281 million kip.

FBT will provide sports equipment, tracksuits and jerseys worth more than 7 billion kip to the LNSC and Lao athletes.

The company will also provide some international standard sports equipment for the games, primarily for the muay, petanque and boxing events.

Mr Viengsavanh said many sports federations needed different equipment for the games, but the centre would provide equipment of international standard for 21 sports.

Mr Viengsavanh said further promotional activities were planned in the lead up to the games.

The centre will expand its promotional operations to include booths selling the clothing and other souvenirs at stadiums and sporting facilities throughout the city during the games.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes