25th SEA Games, Laos

Even though Laos has never before hosted the major biennial regional sports competition, the country is confident it will serve up a highly successful 25th SEA Games.

The flags of participating nations and welcoming banners along Vientiane 's streets show Laos is well prepared for the SEA Games. –Photo Sisay
To give everyone confidence, Mr Somsavat has confirmed that Laos is well prepared to host the games, and is more than ready to be off and running.

A meeting of SEA Games Council Members held in December 2003 in Hanoi, Vietnam, nominated Laos to host the 25th SEA Games this year because the country had never been given the honour before.

Laos is also counting down to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Vientiane as the capital of Laos in 2010.

The Lao government accepted the nomination and gave the National Sports Committee responsibility for planning and preparations. This included preparing sports venues, building athletes' accommodation and providing other services for use during the games.

After more than five years spent preparing infrastructure through several projects, everything is now finished and Laos is more than ready for the event to get underway.

Mr Somsavat said “It is Lao government policy that sports are part of human resource development. The SEA Games are very important in showing the development of Laos over the last 34 years.”

“In the sporting world, only in the Olympic Games are leaders from participating nations invited to attend the opening ceremony. This has never happened before at the SEA Games. But Laos will do something very special this year because participating nations' leaders have expressed an interest and willingness to attend the opening ceremony in Vientiane . So we have sent them invitations,” Mr Somsavat said.

Laos can confirm that the prime ministers of Cambodia , Timor Leste and Thailand will attend, while Vietnam is still deciding which of its leaders will come to Laos .

Mr Somsavat said the organising committee had also invited representatives of Lao families living overseas to attend the event, including groups in France , United States of America , Australia and Japan .

Laos has not only worked hard to prepare the necessary infrastructure for the games, but also to make sure referees and athletes are ready for the starting gun.

This time, Laos is setting its sights on winning more gold medals than at previous SEA Games, as the country's athletes will be competing on home soil.

Because it is the 25th edition of the SEA Games this year, Laos decided to organise just 25 sports, less than at the previous games held in Thailand in 2007.

This makes it easy to remember the event by the number 25, with the slogan ‘25 sports at the 25th SEA Games in Laos ' to become symbolic of the Vientiane Games.

This year's SEA Games is not just about winning, but also promotes ‘Generosity, Amity, and Healthy Lifestyle'.

While this is a simple expression, it is profound in meaning, Mr Somsavat said, and refers to Laos and the rest of the world. The official opening ceremony of the 25th SEA Games is scheduled for December 9, but the football matches will kick off on Wednesday, which coincides with the 34th anniversary of National Day on December 2.

Vientianetimes

Vientiane Hospitals are gearing up to train staff in the English language, hoping to serve visiting guests to the best of their ability during the 25th SEA Games set to take place from December 9-18 in Vientiane.

Refresher courses will also make sure all procedures are in line with international medical practices.

Mahosot, Mittaphab and Setthathirath are the key hospitals in Vientiane to serve the event and help athletes and other participants in case of accident or illness.

Staff will be standing by 24 hours at both the hospitals and at major competition venues.

Director of Setthathirath Hospital , Associate Professor Dr Som Ock Kingsada said the hospital has already allocated medical staff to support the games.

He expected about 132 doctors and nurses from the hospital to join the events.

This number includes 77 fourth, fifth and sixth year student interns from the University of Health Sciences .

“We are also preparing medicine, laboratories, beds and four ambulances to respond to injuries and illnesses effectively,” said Dr Som Ock, who is also the rector of the university.

“One challenge for us is A/H1N1, which is still spreading worldwide.”

“For this reason, people with a body temperature over 38 degress Celsius with symptoms such as coughing, sneezing will be treated as possible H1N1 cases.”

“If someone displays flu-like symptoms they should remain isolated in a well ventilated room to prevent the risk of the virus spreading to others,” Dr Som Ock said.

Setthathirath Hospital is located in Donkoy village, Xaysettha district, along Kamphaengmeuang road.

The hospital consists of 22 divisions with 175 beds and receives about 300 cases a day; about 60 of those patients require the services of the emergency ward.

Mahosot Hospital is also preparing medical equipment and staff to support the event.

Associate Professor Dr Bounkong Sihavong said the hospital is improving services at its intensive care unit to assist the general public and athletes in emergency cases.

One ambulance and one mobile X-ray unit from the hospital will be used during the games.

The hospital is also preparing to deal with cases involving large numbers of patients, up to 50 people at a time.

During the games, staff will be on-call 24 hours, even when they are at home.

“They should be available full time for this event,” Dr Bounkong said.

The hospital was the first established in Laos , opening in 1910 when its doctors were French nationals.

Most doctors at the hospital have trained in France , Japan , Australia , Thailand and the US . Director of Mittaphab Hospital , Associate Professor Dr Vanliem Bouaravong, said the hospital will train its staff in specialised medical and English language skills in preparation for the SEA Games.

Dr Vanliem said staff needed to be trained to help athletes and the public during the games.

“Many of our staff specialise in helping people with injuries, either to the brain or other parts of the body.”

“It's a special honour to be asked to help athletes in the unfortunate event they receive an injury,” said Dr Vanliem, who is also a member of the 25th SEA Games Medical and Anti-Doping Committee.

Mittaphab Hospital has 200 beds.

More than 300 doctors and nurses will be on call during the games.

Some will be on duty at sports venues including Lao-ITECC, Don Chan Palace , Km 16 stadium, National University of Laos, Chao Anou stadium and the Beungkhayong Indoor Stadium.

Others will be on stand by around the clock at the hospital.

Mittaphab Hospital staff have a lot of practical experience and have trained in Russia , Germany , Cuba , Mongolia and other countries.

“We expect to organise at least five training courses for our staff ahead of the games,” Dr Vanliem said.

The hospital will coordinate with other major hospitals to make sure enough medical staff are available to cope with any injuries or medical emergences.

The three hospital directors agreed that lack of funding remains the main barrier to successful preparations for the SEA Games.


By Xayxana Leukai
Vientianetimes

Many restaurants in Vientiane are preparing special new menus for visitors during the 25th SEA Games in December, according to a Vientiane Times survey yesterday.

The city already has many restaurants serving foods from different parts of the world, in particular, Indian foods are expected to be a popular dish for visitors.

“Nazim” is the oldest Indian restaurant in Vientiane and is a favourite among local and foreign diners. It has over 100 items on its menu which includes many that have the real taste of Indian dishes. These are popular with customers, as well as the reasonable prices.

The restaurant's owner Mrs Sengchanh Vanvilay told our Vientiane Times reporter that after 20-years of experience they had a high reputation for the quality and genuine flavours of their Indian cuisine.

“Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean people coming to support their teams will want to eat halal food. We are careful to prepare our food in accordance with halal custom. We believe we can provide the best service and foods for them,” she explained.

The restaurant is located at the Mekong riverside in Mixay village, Chanthabouly district Vientiane . It has a small outside eating area but if people look inside it can serve up to 100 guests at a time

“The most popular dishes are sheep and chicken masalas, mutton pepper dry masala, chicken tika masala and garlic nan. Many customers like it really spicy because Indian food should be heavily spiced but some will not,” Mrs Sengchanh explained.

She added that while most of their customers are from Malaysia , Indonesia and Singapore , many Western and European customers are also interested in eating Indian food.

The restaurant imports most of its ingredients directly from India , because they believe their food should be genuine . However some fresh ingredients they will buy from local markets.

“Not only our ingredients, we have also had a genuine Indian chef to cook in the traditional way for customers here for many years,” she said.

Nazim now has branches in Vangvieng, Luang Prabang and Champassak provinces. Luang Prabang is also very popular like the capital.”

Mrs Sengchanh welcomes the games as an opportunity to improve even more on her already high standards and is planning to reorganise her tables and service arrangements.

“I really hope to be able to serve the best food for visitors during the event,” she said.

Many other Indian restaurants in Vientiane are also preparing their establishments to welcome games visitors. So lovers of Indian food will not find it hard to find a restaurant to their taste in central Vientiane .


By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes