The official venue for the launch of the countdown to the 25th SEA Games will be Chao-anouvong stadium in Anou village of Chanthbouly district, according to the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC).
The LNSC's publication ‘Sports Daily News' yesterday reported the ceremony was being organised by the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) in cooperation with the Ministry of Information and Culture and the Vientiane Administration Office.
The countdown ceremony will be held on December 31 and will be attended by high-ranking government officials, as well as being open to the public.
The ceremony will commence at 6.30 pm and run until 1am on January 1, 2009. Attendees will not only be able to enjoy the New Year celebrations and the launch of the countdown to the 2009 SEA Games, but also a show from Miss SEA Games contestants, performances by various artists, and a dazzling fireworks display.
The event will also feature the selection of the final 11 Miss SEA Games ambassadors who will lead athletes of each country into the stadium during the opening and closing ceremonies of the games.
A countdown clock to be placed at the Talat Sao Shopping Mall is currently being prepared, according to the games' major sponsor Lao Brewery Company.
Last month the SEA Games Federation approved 390 events in 25 sports for the games which will run from December 9 to 18 in Vientiane .
The games will involve athletes from the 11 nations of Laos , Vietnam , Cambodia , Brunei , Thailand , Malaysia , Indonesia , Myanmar , Philippines , Singapore , and Timor Leste, which will be making its SEA Games debut.
The games aim to promote friendship, solidarity and understanding between countries in the region, while promoting sport and providing an opportunity for athletes to compete in order to improve their performances at the Asian Games and Olympic Games.
By Sisay Vilaysack
The Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC) has accomplished the goals set for the previous three months of preparation for the 25 th SEA Games to be held in Vientiane next year.
At the Prime Minister's Office on Friday, the national sports committee held a meeting to summarise its work and plan its tasks for September to December.
Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the 25 th SEA Games Organising Committee Somsavat Lengsavad and senior officials attended the meeting.
Mr Somsavat said Laos had been given a great honour in hosting the SEA Games. The event would serve to strengthen the country and boost solidarity.
He suggested the committee should set out clear plans for assistance and cooperation with other countries.
From September to December, the sports committee will cooperate with Singapore to prepare for the event.
The Vietnamese government will assist with the installation of IT systems and electronic equipment in the new football stadium and the indoor stadiums to be used in the games.
The national sports committee will hold a Miss SEA Games beauty pageant and will build a digital clock in Vientiane to mark the countdown to the games. The time will run from December 31 this year until the opening ceremony of the games in December 2009. The clock is to be sponsored by the Lao Brewery Company.
The Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry will spend about 21.3 billion kip (84 million baht) to renovate the national football stadium, tennis courts and the sports department's indoor stadium.
The ministry will also pay about 1.5 billion kip (6 million baht) towards the training of LNSC officials, as well as referees and athletes.
The committee will also receive assistance through cooperation with doping control staff from Vietnam and Thailand .
At the end of this year, the committee will open the sports training centre and athletes' accommodation in Vientiane , to be built with assistance from the Vietnamese government.
The Lao football, judo, karatedo, wushu, wrestling, pencak silat, swimming and diving teams are currently training in Vietnam .
Also in the past three months, committee officials improved their skills at the Lao-Singapore Cooperation Centre in June and planted 500 trees around the new football stadium.
In May, the committee held discussions on work plans for the games including accommodation, food, decoration of the city, tourism, traffic, telecommunications and other work.
The committee asked the Olympic Committee of Asia and the competition organising committee of the SEA Games to assist in running the games.
Athletes' accommodation is under construction at the National University of Laos, assisted by the Vietnamese government.
Last July, the committee visited Incheon district in the Republic of Korea , where district officials provided them with sports equipment worth more than 3.5 billion kip (US$405,000).
When Lao government officials attended the Olympic Games in China last month, they signed an agreement for SEA Games cooperation with the Chinese government in Beijing . The Lao wushu and shuttlecock teams will attend training in China ahead of the games.
Singapore helped with tourism promotion for the games last month. This month it will work on business communication for the games and next month plans to assist with hospitality management.
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.
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.
Two companies awarded advertising rights for the South East Asian (SEA) Games, to be held in Vientiane in 2009, have now sold part of their stake in the business to a Thai company.
Phetchampa Adverting Company of Laos and the RS International Broadcasting and Sports Management Company (RSBS) of Thailand were given sole advertising rights to the games last year.
The business comprises marketing, the opening and closing ceremonies and international TV broadcasts of the games, including advertising.
Phetchampa and RSBS signed an agreement on Friday in Vientiane with the Tee Ro Thai Intertrade Co Ltd of Thailand , selling them the sales' rights for the production of the games' mascots, Champi and Champa, for about 140 million kip (500,000 baht).
More than 50,000 units will be produced for sale.
In addition, RSBS plans to invest provide 560 million kip (2 million baht) for the production of medals and sportswear for Lao athletes and trainers.
The signing ceremony took place between the Director of the Phetchampa Advertising Company, Mr Khammoui Keomany, and the Managing Director of TRT Intertrade Co Ltd, Mr Praphan Prangla-or.
“We will also help with adverting for the sale of Lao handicrafts during the games,” said Mr Khammoui.
(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
