(KPL) The Lao National Karate-do Federation says it will use the 8th National Games in Champassak for selecting its best athletes for the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, 2009. The 8th national sporting games will be opened in December of this 2008. “To ensure its preparation the federation opened new Karate-do Club in Vientiane Secondary School early this month, which houses 150 athletes,” said Vice President of the Lao National Karate-do Federation Mr. Sonesack Nhansana. In addition, the federation has recently hold a seminar on competition rules and fighting techniques for its athletes in preparation for the 8th National Games.

Photo: Vientiane in rush hour(KPL) The coming 25th SEA Games which Laos will host in Champassak in 2009, is expected to have a monetary flow of at least USD 10 million in the southernmost province.Mr Soukkaseum Phothisane, Deputy President of the Lao National Tourism Administration (LNTA) revealed that the preparedness of the upcoming 25th SEA Games saw progressively as the plan of the Lao government in its effort to strengthen the solidarity, culture, economy and friendship among different countries. Therefore the LNTA has also prepared various facilities for serving domestic and foreign visitors. He said that we were disseminating the preparatory services for people who run tourism business to understand the importance of being the host of upcoming SEA Games in order to ensure that visitors will be satisfied with the service. The Lao’s SEA Games will be conducted in four provinces of Vientiane Capital, Luang Prabang, Savannakhet and Champassak province where are destinations of visitors. He believed that at least 50,000 arrivals would visit the Lao PDR during the 25th SEA Games, which estimated one person would spend about USD 200.The 25th SEA Games event in the Lao PDR will be taken from 3 to 12 December 2009.

Lao people living across the country will have a chance to see Live broadcast of the 25th SEA GAMES thanks to the cooperation between the Lao national televition and the Lao star channel.

The 25th SEA Games is tentatively set at December 13-21 in Vientiane, Laos. The other areas of focus will be at Luangprabang and Savannakhet province.At present, $46-million is set for the main stadium, $6 million for the training facility and a new hotel to house an expected figure of 2,500 athletes from 11 southeast asian nations.

(KPL) Hongthong Park, Ban Koualouang, Chanthaboury district, Vientiane Capital, is being developed with adding a 24-hour market with a 200-car parking lot.The development of 17,000 ha park is also to welcome the upcoming 25th Southeast Asian Games to be held in Vientiane in 2009. The 25 billion kip development is the co-operation between Vientiane Administration, the Vientiane Urban Development Administration Authority (VUDAA) and Khampaisana Company. The improvement of the park will be carried out by Khamphaixana Company, which will operate the park for 40 year after completing the construction.Concerned parties signed a memorandum of understanding on the development last Thursday in Vientiane among the witness of Deputy Mayor of Vientiane Mr Bounchan Sinlavong and concerned officials.

The 25th Southeast Asian Games is scheduled to be held in Vientiane, Laos in 2009. This will be the first time the country has ever held a Southeast Asian Games. If Laos failed to meet qualifications to hold the event in time, the games would be moved to Singapore. It will also commemorate the 50 years of the SEA Games in the said event.

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In anticipation of a newly created golf course, the Laos Golf Federation is now planning the golf tournament, one of many events in the 25 th SEA Games to be held in Vientiane next year. Although the medal winning chances for Laos are meagre as the team lacks international experience and sufficient skills, the federation is still encouraging improvements. It is also looking for a professional coach to train the team for the games. “The Asia-Pacific Golf Confederation based in Australia will provide financial assistance so that the Lao golf team can participate in the SEA Games,” said the General Secretary of the Lao Golf Federation, Mr Songkham Silaphet. The Booyoung Company of the Republic of Korea granted about 50 billion kip (US$5 million) for the creation of a 27-hole golf course of international standard on about 150 hectares of land at Km18 in Vientiane . The golf course is now 30 percent complete and it is expected it will be finished well ahead of the games. The Korean company has signed a contract with the Asean Civil Road and Bridge Construction Company of Laos to design and create the golf course. The company will provide further funding to build amenities such as a restaurant and hotel around the course, to attract tourists. After the close of the games, the Booyoung Company will release a second grant to extend the course by an additional 60 hectares. This will make it a total of 210 hectares with 45 holes. “The golf course will surely attract more tourists to Laos which will increase national revenue. We will also be able to organise more professional golf tournaments,” Mr Songkham said. The federation's organising committee will form a new body to select its new president at the end of this month. The committee will organise the training of youngsters below the age of 25 in preparation for the games. “We still lack a qualified coach with both theoretical knowledge and knowledge of physical training techniques. We need to train young players and bring them up to international standard. Also we are still looking for more sponsors who can offer financial support to the Lao team,” Mr Songkham said. The city's existing golf course at Km 14 is not of sufficient standard for international tournament play, although Lao players were able to prepare themselves for the 24 th SEA Games in Thailand last December.

Photo: Model of new national stadium of Laos for 2009 Sea Games

The Sub-Committee for Tobacco Control and the Tobacco Control Taskforce expect to have smoke-free zones declared for the 25 th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2009.

The Chairman of the Tobacco Control Taskforce, Prof Sithat Insisiengmay, told Vientiane Times on Monday that his taskforce and the sub-committee of the Lao National Sports Committee first met last month and are now in the process of drafting a decree before sending it to the Prime Minister for signing.

“This decree will help us achieve our goal of a tobacco free games, with events held in Luang Prabang, Savannkhet provinces and Vientiane,” he said.

He said the taskforce had also successfully implemented smoke-free zones in the Ministry of Public Health, and most hospitals in Vientiane as well as provincial hospitals of Luang Prabang and Savannakhet.

Hospitals in Champassak province have already sent a proposal to the taskforce, which should be implemented early this year, he added.

“Ourselves, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Adventist Development and Relief Agency and the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance are together pushing for the implementation of a smoke-free 25 th SEA Games,” said an assistant of WHO's Tobacco Free Initiative Programme, Dr Bounlonh Kesouvannasane.

He added that funding would be needed for a media campaign, informing the various committees who work for the games and publishing material.

The new Tobacco Control Law also passed the first step in Sub-Committee level at the Ministries of Public Health, Industry and Commerce, and Justice and the Prime Minister's Office, he said.

He added the draft will be sent to a committee of nine ministries for consideration before sending it to the 5 th session of sixth legislature of the National Assembly in 2008 for approval.

Smoke-free areas are in line with the World Health Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) ratified by Laos in 2006.

(KPL) Hongthong Park, Ban Koualouang, Chanthaboury district, Vientiane Capital, is being developed with adding a 24-hour market with a 200-car parking lot.

The development of 17,000 ha park is also to welcome the upcoming 25th Southeast Asian Games to be held in Vientiane in 2009.

The 25 billion kip development is the co-operation between Vientiane Administration, the Vientiane Urban Development Administration Authority (VUDAA) and Khampaisana Company.

The improvement of the park will be carried out by Khamphaixana Company, which will operate the park for 40 year after completing the construction.
Concerned parties signed a memorandum of understanding on the development last Thursday in Vientiane among the witness of Deputy Mayor of Vientiane Mr Bounchan Sinlavong and concerned officials.

The Lao Petanque Federation announced yesterday that it would be running a series of nationwide tournaments to select the best players to join the national squad.

According to federation official Mr Sengthong Chommalath, the schedule for this year's competitions is already complete, and will be held in three stages around the country.

Players in the southern provinces of Savannakhet, Saravan, Xekong, Attapeu and host Champassak will compete from February 23-24.

Vientiane and the central provinces of Vientiane , Khammuan and host Borikhamxay will compete from March 26-27, while the third stage will be held in Luang Prabang province from April 29-30, and include players from Xieng Khuang, Huaphanh, Phongsaly, Bokeo, Oudomxay, Xayaboury and Luang Namtha provinces.

The winners in each category will qualify to compete in a final round in Vientiane from May 17-18, and the best players will be chosen to attend a national training camp in the following month.

Although some have suggested that this will be too early to begin holding a training camp, Mr Sengthong maintains that players need as much time as possible to improve their skills before the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane .

The federation plans to invite at least 30 players, many of whom are already rising stars, to compete in the SEA Games, with the hope that they will win at least four gold medals on their home turf.

But more than half of the national squad players will be newcomers, which will be a challenge when facing strong rivals Thailand , Vietnam and Cambodia , where most players have world-class experience.

However federation president Mr Khammoui Keomany still believes that new members of the national squad will do as well, if not better, than Lao players at previous editions of the SEA Games.

Mr Khammoui also said the “dream team” for the 2009 games would begin their international tour after the end of the wet season, while the finalists for the national squad would be selected in the lead-up to the games.

The 2009 SEA Games will run from December 9-18; all main events will take place in the capital, while some will take place in provincial arenas in Vientiane , Luang Prabang and Savannakhet.

The Lao Bowling and Lao Snooker Federations have announced plans to start building new bowling and snooker training centres in Vientiane next month, in preparation for the 25 th SEA Games in 2009.

The federations will spend more than 9 billion kip (US$1 million) to build the two training centres, which are due for completion at the end of the year. Bowling and snooker equipment will be bought from China at a cost of a further 6 billion kip (US$700,000).

“We will organise bowling and snooker events once the centres are built, to select the best players to compete in the SEA Games,” said the President of the Lao Snooker Federation and Secretary to the President of the Lao Bowling Federation, Mr Pasithxay Luangkhot.

The bowling training centre will be of an international standard and consist of 24 lanes. The snooker training centre will have 20 international competition sized tables.

“The Vientiane Bowling Club and the Lao Snooker Federation Club are not up to standard and are too small to stage competitions at the SEA Games level,” said Mr Pasithxay.

In the meantime, the Bowling Federation has invited the best bowling teams from Luang Prabang, Vientiane , Savannakhet and Champassak provinces to participate in the Deputy Prime Minister's Cup, to be held at the Vientiane Bowling Club on February 23, in celebration of the 59 th anniversary of the establishment of the Lao People's Army.

The competition will consist of men's and women's singles tournaments in the open, under-15 and under-19 categories.

“We will select the best bowlers during this event to represent Vientiane at the 8 th National Games in Champassak province in December,” he said.

The Snooker Federation plans to organise a series of friendly men's singles snooker competitions at the federation's club in March.

“In May, we will select the best snooker players at the Vientiane Mayor's Cup to represent Vientiane at the 8 th National Games,” said Mr Pasithxay.

Lao bowling and snooker teams took part in the 24 th SEA Games in Thailand last year but were unsuccessful in their medal attempts.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
Vientianetimes