25th Sea Games

Photo: Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Professor Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, who is Honorary President of the newly reformed committee of the Lao Cycling Federation ( fourth right ), takes part in the start of the public cycling race in Vientiane yesterday morning. --Photo Sangkhomsay

The Lao Cycling Federation (LCF) is hopeful of winning gold medals at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane next year after launching a new committee on Sunday.

Vice Minister of Information and Culture and LCF Honorary President Prof. Dr Bosengkham Vongdala, LCF President Vilaysouk Phimmasone and senior ministry officials attended a ceremony to launch the federation's new committee on Sunday in Vientiane.

Dr Bosengkham and senior officials participated in a mountain bike caravan procession along Fa-ngum Road as part of the event.

Mr Vilaysouk said the federation hoped to upgrade Lao cyclists' skills with the aim of achieving success at the SEA Games.

He said the federation was planning to organise an inaugural national cycling competition, a promotional bicycle caravan and an international cycling race in the lead-up to the games.

The federation's organising committee has sent cyclists to participate in the eighth National Games to be held in Champassak province in December.

The federation will organise a road race in January to select cyclists to join the national squad.

Mr Vilaysouk said the LCF was planning to send the national team to compete in at least two international races next year.

On Sunday, the federation organised a 6km road race along Fa-ngum Road involving more than 150 cyclists from Laos and neighbouring countries.

The race was held across various categories for competitors aged eight to over 50. Winners received trophies and cash prizes from the federation.

The event was supported by the federation and Lao Star Television Channel.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong

The 2009 Southeast Asian Games Village Project, which is under construction in the Lao capital of Vientiane, is now 45% completed.

Work on the 25th SEA Games athletes’ village, which is being built by Vietnam’s Hoang Anh Gia Lai Joint-Stock Company (HAGL), began on August 1, using almost 700 workers, 95% of whom are from Vietnam.

HAGL is sponsoring the US$19 million 25th SEA Games Village Project with $4 million in nonrefundable aid and an interest free loan of $15 million, which will be repaid within three years.



The project, which will be handed over to Laos’ National University after the sports event, will have 992 rooms in eight four-story blocks, a 1,200-seat dining room, a central hall and functional rooms. The site will also have football fields and basketball facilities.

The athletes' village is on a 42,000sqm site at the Dongdok campus, National University of Laos. The village comprises 10 buildings and other auxiliary facilities. Eight four-storey buildings with international standard facilities will contain 1,000 rooms and accommodate 4,000 athletes. A single-storey building will house a canteen and a three-storey building will contain multi-purpose management offices.

Miss SEA Games 2009 are waiting for you in Laos !

The final selection of 100 Ms SEA Games representatives will take
place on Friday at the National Culture Hall in Vientiane.

More than 200 girls have applied to the contest, but only 100 will be
chosen for the role.

Eleven country placard bearers will be selected from the 100
representatives to take part in the stadium parade that precedes the
games, which will be held next December in Vientiane.

The 100 selected participants will introduce themselves to the public
for the first time at Patuxay Monument at the start of the countdown
to the SEA Games, which will begin on New Year's Eve.

Organising sub-committee member, Mr Sopha Inthavong, said nationwide
applications opened at the end of July, and the three-part selection
process would culminate in the announcement this Friday.

Applicants were required to be Lao citizens, aged between 18 and 25,
and have a pleasant personality and good manners.

Participants also had to be single and be communicative, intelligent,
knowledgeable, talented and able to speak English.

Before the candidates were presented yesterday to the organising
committee at the National Culture Hall, they received training in
social etiquette and ceremonial presentation. Mr Sopha, who is also
one of the trainers, said training would continue after the selection
process.

“After their selection, the 100 Ms SEA Games representatives will
return to the National Culture Hall stage, where they will practise
how to nop (perform the traditional greeting), stand and act in a
socially appropriate manner,” Mr Sopha said.

He said those who were selected would also learn how to speak English
and take part in various activities, such as visiting important sites
in Vientiane like That Luang and the Hor Phra Keo museum.

They will be trained by staff who will give them suggestions on the
wearing of traditional clothes and tennis dress, before their public
presentation on December 31.

They will also learn how to dance to a selection of songs and rhythm,
and be guided in their choice of clothes.

An 18-year-old participant in the contest, Ms Soudaphone Tilakhoun,
who attends Pakpasak Technical School , said she was persuaded by her
friend to apply. She is hopeful of being selected in the group of 100
on Friday.

“ Laos will host the SEA Games for the first time, and I wanted to
play a part in serving the nation,” she said. “As a Lao girl I want to
give other people an insight into Lao culture, both in Laos and
overseas.”

Another participant, Ms Bouasavanh Phanthamit, 18, from Luang Prabang,
who studies at Rattana Business Administration College , said she too
wanted to serve her country while building her confidence.

“Actually I'm shy and never thought I could take part in the selection
process, but I've discovered I'm confident enough to go through with
it,” she said.

By Vientiane Times

apan to construct martial arts centre



The Japanese government will provide 37 billion kip (400 million yen) to the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) to assist in the construction of a martial arts centre in Vientiane .

The funding agreement was signed by LNSC Vice President, Mr Somphou Phongsa, and Japanese International Affairs Department Manager, Mr Yukinobu Morikawa, in Vientiane on Tuesday.

The sports committee will use the Lao-Japan Budo Centre to hold the karatedo and judo events at the 25th SEA Games in Vientiane next year. Budo is a Japanese term describing martial arts.

The centre will provide a first-rate training facility for the martial arts of karatedo, judo and aikido. The sports committee will also use the centre to host table tennis and sepak takraw tournaments and other entertainment events.

The Japanese Kanto Construction Company and Sanpo International Corporation will begin construction of the centre at the end of this month and will complete the facility by October next year. The Azusa Sekkei Company will serve as consultants during the construction.

Mr Morikawa said the construction companies were experienced working in Laos , having built hospitals in Songkhone district of Savannakhet province, Kaenthao district in Xayaboury province, Houn district in Oudomxay and Sing district in Luang Namtha province.

He said the companies would work closely with LNSC, the Japanese Embassy to Laos , and Japan 's International Cooperation Agency to ensure construction of the centre ran smoothly and efficiently. The centre will be the first such facility in Laos and officials hope that it will enable Lao martial arts athletes to win medals at next year's SEA Games.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong

The 25th SEA Games stadium will be used for an inauguration of 2009 SEA Games hosted by Laos, is confirmed that it would be completed in timely manner, said a senior official is responsible for the construction.

The new football stadium where the opening and closing ceremonies of the games will take place is 65-80 percent complete, the indoor stadium is 90 percent complete, the petanque field is 80 percent complete and the taekwondo court is 95 percent complete

“Laos has enough budget for the construction of 25th SEA Games stadium, thanks to the financial support of Chinese Development Bank worth about US$ 80 million,” Meanwhile the Government has already made a decision to fork out a minimum of 69 billion kip to improve old existed stadiums in Vientiane Capital. All of them would be used for the football competition.

The construction work is under laying out water pipe system, land clearance and road construction access to the stadium, which expects to be completed before inauguration on December 2009.

The Laos National Sports Complex is located about 20 Km from the centre of Vientiane City and comprises a 20,000 seating capacity main stadium, a 2,000 seating capacity indoor aquatics complex, with a outdoor warm-up pool, a Tennis centre consisting of 2,000 seating capacity centre court plus 6 other tennis court, two indoor stadiums each with seating capacity of 3,000 and a indoor shooting range with 50 seats.

The sports complex is in a sprawling 185 ha site, with an Olympic Park, adequate parking lots, lakes and open spaces. An archery centre could be constructed in the open space next to the shooting range. There is adequate space for a trap and skeet range to be added later, if required.

“The stadium will be competed three months in advance in order to inspect its standard,” Mr Khiengkham stated further.

The 2009 SEA Games in Laos is being kept over eyes on from many countries.



Scale model of the Laos national Sports Complex. The indoor aquatics complex is the the foreground, with the tennis centre on its right (marked as 6). The National Stadium with the warm-up track on its left. The two indoor stadia are on the right of the National Stadium, and are marked as 3 & 4. The shooting range is at the top of the model. The Olympic Park is at the top of the model.