25th SEA Games, Laos

Media is set to benefit with Lao National Television (LNTV) to provide an information centre during the 25th SEA Games to be held in Vientiane this December.

LNTV Director, Dr Bounchom Vongphet reported the International Broadcasting Centre would be set up at Km 5 Chommany village, Xaithany district, Vientiane .

“The centre will provide information and broadcasts to viewers including the opening and closing ceremonies as well as live broadcasts of many popular sports during the games.

“Foreign and local journalists can get all the necessary information at the centre,” he explained.

LNTV plans to broadcast the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as 17 of the 25 sports.

“We will choose the most popular sports to broadcast on channels 1 and 3. We will cooperate with Lao Star Channel to broadcast 10 hours per day, but Lao Star Channel will take only two hours per day,” Dr Bounchom said.

“We also plan to report results through both national television stations early in each hour.”

LNTV officials have organised four training courses for cameramen and producers to ensure the best quality broadcasting possible.

Meanwhile they are continuing to train their staff to cover the biggest ever sporting event to come to Laos .

“We will have 11 news teams to report on all the daily competition from the stadiums through fibre-optic and microwave links to the centre.

“Now, many staff still need to improve their skills before the games,” he said.

He added that Laos would be the first country to sell SEA Games live-broadcasting rights to other television stations in various countries in the region.

“We can say that because the SEA games committees meeting in Vientiane agreed to sell the rights.

“This October, there will be many TV companies from neighbouring countries and we will have to have agreements for live broadcasting.

“The committee has agreed that a newly established company must identify the price of broadcasting rights,” Dr Bounchom explained.

He said broadcasters would require 17 outside broadcasting ( OB ) vans for the games.

“Now we have only four OB van in Laos , so we will rent 10 OB vans from Thailand , two from Vietnam and one from Singapore .”

Meanwhile, Lao National Radio (LNR) is also busy preparing staff to report on the games.

LNR Director-General Sipha Nonglath said the organisation would follow similar broadcasting strategies to those of LNTV.

“What is different is training officials on how to cover sports events for radio, as well as how to improve sports reporting through the radio to make it more interesting for listeners,” he said.

He said online reports in Lao, English, French and Hmong languages would ensure people around the world stay up dated during the games.



By Souknilundon Southivongnorath
Vientianetimes

Young female Hmong students at Phonesavanh Secondary School are training hard in the hope of representing Laos in the weightlifting event at the SEA Games in Vientiane this December.

The students continue to improve under the guidance of a Thai coach.

Laos ' best weightlifter in the female 69kg division is 21-year-old Ms Bao Vang.

She is working hard to improve on her personal best weight of 75kg in the hope of representing her nation at the games.

She only began weightlifting six months ago and trains every day. She is currently in sixth class at Phonesavanh Secondary School .

Ms Bao does not expect to win a medal at the games because she has no experience at the international level.

She said the Thai team has very good weightlifters and expects they will dominate the event at the games.

She became interested in weightlifting after watching her friends at school training with a coach provided by the Lao Weight Lifting Federation.

Ms Bao is also a skilled football player. She was born in Veunkhaen village in Pakngum district, Vientiane and received scholarship to study at Phonesavanh Secondary School .

Another talented young female weightlifter is Ms Mailor Lorvangdua, who is in fifth class at Phonesavanh Secondary School .

Ms Mailor currently competes in the 52kg category but is aiming to move up to the 58kg division before the games.

She said weightlifting is a relatively new sport in Laos and is not very popular because people believe it is dangerous.

Ms Mailor is 16 years old and comes from Sibounheuang village in Thathom district in Xieng Khuang province. She said she will be very happy if she is selected to join the national team for the games.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes