We reported an earlier similar report of the 25th SEA Games Opening/Closing ceremony preview last month, and today’s report is another one. With the video below, you can observe a much more refined rehearsal, and what to expect when the Games ceremony opens.

In welcoming the upcoming New Year, all Lao sports fans will not only celebrate the 43rd anniversary of sport in this country, but also hope that celebrations will motivate Lao athletes to success at the 25th South East Asian (SEA) Games as host nation for 2009.

Laos’ main hope as hosts of the SEA Games will be an overwhelming home team advantage that will result in more gold medals and improve on the country’s performance in previous games. Apart from international competitions such as the SEA Games, the country’s main arena for sports is the National Games.

According to the Standing Deputy Prime Minister, Somsavat Lengsavad, who spoke at the closing of the 2008 National Games on December 22, this year’s event was a great experience for officials, athletes and coaches in their preparation for the 25th SEA Games, which will take place in Laos next year.

This year’s eighth National Games was hosted by Champassak province for the second time, and the number of athletes and sports have increased dramatically since the first games in 1985. The main goals of the National Games are not only for development of sport, but also to promote and strengthen friendship between athletes, competitors and supporters from different parts of the country.

The founding day for Lao sports was July 13, 1966, as declared at the third congress of the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC). This was also the day the Lao People’s Army’s sports division was officially opened at a base in Huaphan province. This was an important milestone in the history of Lao sport. Five months later, athletes competed in an international event for the first time when they went to the Games of New Force in Cambodia. Laos sent 22 athletes who competed in shooting and volleyball events.

Since the country’s liberation in 1975, sports have greatly contributed to national protection and development. Lao sports have expanded into local communities throughout the country. Sport plays an important role in international relations and participation in international competitions brings awareness and success for the country. Since 1975, the Lao government has been developing sport by training coaches and administration officers.

The LNSC held the first National Games in 1985 in Vientiane. There were 650 athletes from five zones and eight ministries competing in 12 sporting events. Vientiane came top of the final medal tally. The second National Games were hosted by Savannakhet province in 1987. Again there were 12 sports events, but athlete numbers had risen to more than 1,376 from seven zones and nine ministries. The capital city’s team retained their winner’s title.



From then on the National Games were to be held every three years in different provinces, but sometimes the games were delayed because of funding problems. The third National Games took place in Khammuan province in 1991 and was attended by 920 athletes from nine zones competing in 11 sports. In 1994, the fourth National Games was hosted by Champassak province, and attracted 1,600 athletes. Competitors took part in 14 sports and came from nine zones, while the leader of the medal tally was Vientiane again. In 1997, the event was hosted by Luang Prabang province and athlete numbers continued to grow. This time the event attracted 1,668 athletes from 10 zones, competing in 14 sports. The Vientiane team finished on top.

The sixth National Games were held in Vientiane in 2000. For the first time, the number of athletes competing was over 3,000 and the number of sports had increased to 28. The Vientiane team retained its top ranking. The seventh National Games was hosted by Savannakhet province in 2005 and attended by teams from 17 provinces and 13 ministries. This time there were 22 sports and 3,257 athletes. Vientiane again won the final medal tally.

This year’s eighth National Games ran from December 13-22 in Champassak province, and ended with big surprises as the home team claimed the top ranking in the final medal tally. For the first time ever, previous champions Vientiane slumped to third place. This time, about 6,000 athletes competed in 24 sports, representing 17 provinces, 10 ministries and two organisations.

Officials from the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee and Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sport met on Wednesday in Vientiane to discuss preparations for the 2009 SEA Games. –Photo Sisay

The Lao SEA Games Organising Committee (LAOSOC) met with delegates from the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports in Vientiane on Wednesday to discuss progress on preparations for the 25th SEA Games.

The meeting was chaired by Lao National Sports Committee Vice President, Mr Somphou Phongsa, and the Thai Ministry of Tourism and Sports' Permanent Secretary Dr Sasithara Pichaichannarong.

The two sides discussed preparations for the games including the compilation of competition technical teams, construction of training and competition facilities, traffic and transport arrangements, volunteer organisers, television broadcasting and accommodation for athletes and officials.

Thai officials reported on the progress of an indoor stadium upgrade which the Thai government is providing 43 billion kip (179 million baht) funding for. The stadium in Beungkhayong village, Sisattanak district of Vientiane will host the shuttlecock and muay events during the games.

The facility is on track for completion in October next year, the meeting was told.

Mr Somphou, on behalf of LAOSOC, thanked the Thai government for its support in upgrading the Beungkhayong indoor stadium and other preparations for the event, which will be held in December 2009.

“In preparing for the games we have also received generous support from other neighbouring countries including Vietnam and China ,” he said.

Last month a meeting of the SEA Games Federation decreed the event would consist of 390 events across the 25 sports of athletics, aquatic sports (swimming, diving and water polo), archery, badminton, billiards and snooker, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karatedo, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and soft tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, wushu, muay, fin swimming, petanque, shuttlecock and pencak silat.

Competition venues are the national sports complex at Km 16 in Dongsanghin village, Xaythany district; Don Chan Palace; Booyoung and Olympasia indoor stadiums at the National University of Laos; Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre; Chao-anouvong stadium in Anou village, Chanthabouly district; the Army stadium at Km 5 and the Vientiane Sports Department in Beungkhayong village, Sisattanak district.

BANGKOK, July 1 (TNA) — The Thai government Tuesday approved a grant of Bt90 million to Laos which will host the 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) from December 13 to 21, next year, according to a deputy government spokesperson.


The financial assistance is earmarked for repairing stadiums, as well as for training and human development expenses, according to Deputy Government Spokesman Wirintira Nathongborjaras.

In addition to that Thailand will also send coaches and referees to assist Lao athletes in 12 sports.

The assistance is aimed at strengthening relations between the two neighbouring countries, she added.

The SEA Games are held biannually. (TNA)

Yuuwakai Association helps Lao Karatedo Federation to build new training center



(KPL) The Yuuwakai Association of Japan will provide its grant aid worth about 10 million yen to build the Karatedo training center in Laos.
This was a part of contribution from Yuuwakai Association to improve the standards of Lao Karatedo fighters.

The statement was released during the courtesy visit to Mr. Vilayvong Boudakham, Vice Secretary General of Lao Central Youth Union of Yuuwakai Association delegation led by its president Watanabe Shinichi.

The Yuuwakai association delegation arrived Vientiane on 4 August for a two day working visit to Laos.

The delegation was warmly welcomed by Mr. Phongsavat Bouphan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs who is also honorary president of Lao Karatedo federation.
20% of grant aid will be used to construct the first phase of office and training center, which will begin in September, while the remainder will be use to fund the second and third phases of construction.

Laos will have to work hard to host the 25th SEA Games in 2009 because the country only has five years to prepare international facilities, said National Sports Committee President, Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom recently.
The meeting of the SEA Games Council Members held in December 2003 in Hanoi, Vietnam nominated Laos to host the SEA Games in 2009 because the honour had never come here before.
Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom told the Government Meeting last month that plans were needed to ensure that the games would be a success. The Government accepted and has given the NSC responsibility for planning and preparation including fields for competition, athletes villages and other services during the Games. The Government will then review the plan to decide the budget for the SEA Games.
"We will upgrade some fields for competition in Vientiane so that they are international standard. We are lucky in Vientiane because we have many indoor stadiums that can be used for the indoor sports events," Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom explained.
The National Stadium could be used for the opening and closing ceremonies and the football finals but it seats only 5,000 spectators. "Laos is planning to build a new 20,000-seat stadium in Vientiane for use in the opening and closing ceremonies," said Dr Phouthong.
He said that the new national stadium is the most ambitious and important project in the preparations. It will contain 20,000 seats or more and provide roofing cover on the west and east stands. It will be a multi-function stadium for football and athletics competitions. The construction should be designed and completed to international and regional standards.
The NSC is also planning to organise some sports events in Vientiane and Savannakhet provinces. The traditional boat racing, canoeing and other events will be held in Vientiane province, said the NSC president. "The first round of the football competition will be held in Savannakhet because their new 15,000-seat stadium is nearly complete," he said.
"We are a small country but we want to make the games exciting and hold many sports events. We have decided to organise 25 sports events for the SEA Games in 2009 including Lao traditional sports such as archery, top spinning and boat racing," he added.
The new national stadium will be constructed at Km 16 in Xaythany district on Road 13 South and construction will begin next year. The swimming pools, golf and tennis courts of world standard will be built near the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (ITECC).
Another big football stadium to use for the SEA Games in 2009 is the new 15,000 seat stadium in Savannakhet province. It is currently under construction and will be finished next year in time for the National Games.
The aim of the SEA Games is to promote friendship, solidarity and understanding between countries in the region. It is also held to promote good sports records, techniques and tactics, and create the conditions for athletes to compete at the highest level in order to get better results at the Asian and Olympic Games.
Before 1975, the SEA Games was named the SEAP Games (South East Asian Peninsula Games). The first SEAP Games was organised in 1959 in Bangkok, Thailand and attended by only six countries including Laos. Singapore became the 7th member after it separated from Malaysia to be an independent nation in 1965 and then Indonesia and the Philippines joined the Games in 1977.
In 1997, Brunei was recognised as an official member, raising the total of official members to 10 countries and last year's SEA Games in Vietnam saw an increase to 11 countries when East Timor joined.
The Philippines will host the 23rd SEA Games in 2005. They will then be hosted by Thailand in 2007 before Laos takes its turn in 2009

(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.

The Southeast Asian Games (also known as the SEA Games), is a biennial multi-sport event involving participants from the current 11 countries of Southeast Asia. The games is under regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia.

History
The Southeast Asian Games owes its origins to the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games or SEAP Games. On May 22, 1958, delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian peninsula attending the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan had a meeting and agreed to establish a sport organization. The SEAP Games was conceptualized by Laung Sukhumnaipradit, then Vice-President of the Thailand Olympic Committee. The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote cooperation, understanding and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian region.
Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam and Cambodia (with Singapore included thereafter) were the founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biannually. The SEAP Games Federation Committee was formed.
The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok from 12-17 December, 1959 comprising more than 527 athletes and officials from Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, South Vietnam and Laos participating in 12 sports.
At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, the SEAP Federation considered the inclusion of Indonesia and the Philippines.The two countries were formally admitted in 1977, the same year when SEAP Federation changed their name to Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), and the games were known as the Southeast Asian Games. Brunei was admitted at the 10th SEA Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, and East Timor at the 22nd SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
The 24th SEA Games held in the Thailand, which started from 6 December and ended on 15 December 2007, hosting the biennial event for the sixth times and it is also the most protested SEA Games ever.The next host for the SEA Games is in Laos.It was that the Laos to host the binneial games for the first time

(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.

2009, 25th sea games, cambodia, indonesia singapore, Laos, Laotian Thailand, Luang prabang, malaysia, Myanmar, philippines, savannakhet, sport event, Vientiane sport, vietnam

Photo: The biggest shopping mall in Vientiane, Talat sao morning market. Local entrepreneurs held a foundation-stone laying ceremony on Sunday morning, marking an important stage of the construction of the Hongthong Development Project in central Vientiane . The 25-billion-kip project will be completed before the SEA Games in Vientiane next year for the benefit of the large number of visitors to the capital. The 17,000 square metre site will feature a parking lot, handicraft stores, restaurants and other facilities, which will be open around the clock to accommodate the increasing number of tourists to Laos . The ceremony took place at the site opposite the National Stadium, attended by the Mayor of Vientiane, Dr Sinlavong Khoutphaythoune, the Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, Dr Bosengkham Vongdara, and officials from the relevant sectors. K hamphay Construction Company President Khamphay Somsana said he expected more than 300 booths to be booked by vendors followi ng the completion of the project. There will also be stalls for the sale of goods produced by people of various ethnic groups.

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.

(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.

It was spectacular ending to the 24th SEA Games earlier in the closing ceremony.

As the flag is passed on to the next country to host the SEA Games, we reflect of the one we had.

It was a well organised 24th SEA Games by the King and Kingdom, and we look forward to the 25th SEA Games in Laos 2009

It will be Laos first time hosting the SEA Games and estimated 25 sports will be contested.

If Laos failed to meet qualifications to hold the event in time, the games would be moved to Singapore.

As for us here at this website, we would like to thank for your support and feedback at the site and interaction at the chatbox. Despite user differences at times seen at the chatbox, we’re still so much similar being we’re all from South East Asia region.

Let’s not forget the fair-play in such games and lose sight of it. It’s an eye opener for us maintaining this website with the limited resource available to us and we’ll try to do better on the next games. Thank you

69% of the country's people are ethnic Lao, the principal lowland inhabitants and the politically and culturally dominant group. The Lao belong to the Tai linguistic group who began migrating southward from China in the first millennium AD. A further 8% belong to other "lowland" groups, which together with the Lao people make up the Lao Loum. Hill people and minority cultures of Laos such as the Hmong (Miao), Yao (Mien), Tai dumm, Dao, Shan, and several Tibeto-Burman speaking peoples have lived in isolated regions of Laos for many years. Mountain/hill tribes of mixed ethno/cultural-linguistic heritage are found in northern Laos which include the Lua (Lua) and Khammu people who are indigenous to Laos. Today, the Lua people are considered endangered. Collectively, they are known as Lao Soung or highland Laotians. In the central and southern mountains, Mon-Khmer tribes, known as Lao Theung or mid-slope Laotians, predominate. Some Vietnamese and Chinese minorities remain, particularly in the towns, but many left in two waves; after independence in the late 1940s and again after 1975.

The term "Laotian" does not necessarily refer to the ethnic Lao language, ethnic Lao people, language or customs, but is a political term that also includes the non-ethnic Lao groups within Laos and identifies them as "Laotian" because of their political citizenship. In a similar vein the word "Lao" can also describe the people, cuisine, language and culture of the people of Northeast Thailand (Isan) who are ethnic Lao.

The predominant religion is Theravada Buddhism which, along with the common Animism practiced among the mountain tribes, coexists peacefully with spirit worship. There also are a small number of Christians, mostly restricted to the Vientiane area, and Muslims, mostly restricted to the Myanmar border region. Christian missionary work is regulated by the government.

The official and dominant language is Lao, a tonal language of the Tai linguistic group. Midslope and highland Lao speak an assortment of tribal languages. French, still common in government and commerce, has declined in usage, while knowledge of English, the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has increased in recent years

Degussa, a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals, will showcase its work on lithium-ion batteries, hybrid vehicles and lightweight construction at the upcoming SAE 2007 World Congress in Detroit.

Degussa began volume production of electrodes for large-format lithium-ion batteries at the Li-Tech GmbH (SK Group) site in Germany in the fourth quarter of 2006. (Earlier post.) In Detroit, the company will exhibit a Honda Civic hybrid equipped with a li-ion battery made of Degussa electrodes with some 40,000 kilometers (24,855 miles) of on-road testing.

Degussa also offers a ceramic membrane separator—SEPARION—which consists of a flexible substrate, normally a non-woven polymer, coated with a porous ceramic layer. The pore size can be selectively set by an appropriate choice of ceramic coating material. According to Degussa, the ceramic properties of the separator make it more temperature-stable than conventional polymer separators used in lithium-ion polymer batteries, and therefore contribute towards preventing short circuits in the battery.

The company will also present adhesive solutions to replace welding, both in the chassis and the superstructure. Degussa says that every additional kilogram of the special adhesive makes the car 25 kilograms lighter. Degussa supplies silanes for the adhesives.

Laos will have to work hard to host the 25th SEA Games in 2009 because the country only has five years to prepare international facilities, said National Sports Committee President, Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom recently.
The meeting of the SEA Games Council Members held in December 2003 in Hanoi, Vietnam nominated Laos to host the SEA Games in 2009 because the honour had never come here before.
Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom told the Government Meeting last month that plans were needed to ensure that the games would be a success. The Government accepted and has given the NSC responsibility for planning and preparation including fields for competition, athletes villages and other services during the Games. The Government will then review the plan to decide the budget for the SEA Games.
"We will upgrade some fields for competition in Vientiane so that they are international standard. We are lucky in Vientiane because we have many indoor stadiums that can be used for the indoor sports events," Dr Phouthong Seng-akhom explained.
The National Stadium could be used for the opening and closing ceremonies and the football finals but it seats only 5,000 spectators. "Laos is planning to build a new 20,000-seat stadium in Vientiane for use in the opening and closing ceremonies," said Dr Phouthong.
He said that the new national stadium is the most ambitious and important project in the preparations. It will contain 20,000 seats or more and provide roofing cover on the west and east stands. It will be a multi-function stadium for football and athletics competitions. The construction should be designed and completed to international and regional standards.
The NSC is also planning to organise some sports events in Vientiane and Savannakhet provinces. The traditional boat racing, canoeing and other events will be held in Vientiane province, said the NSC president. "The first round of the football competition will be held in Savannakhet because their new 15,000-seat stadium is nearly complete," he said.
"We are a small country but we want to make the games exciting and hold many sports events. We have decided to organise 25 sports events for the SEA Games in 2009 including Lao traditional sports such as archery, top spinning and boat racing," he added.
The new national stadium will be constructed at Km 16 in Xaythany district on Road 13 South and construction will begin next year. The swimming pools, golf and tennis courts of world standard will be built near the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (ITECC).
Another big football stadium to use for the SEA Games in 2009 is the new 15,000 seat stadium in Savannakhet province. It is currently under construction and will be finished next year in time for the National Games.
The aim of the SEA Games is to promote friendship, solidarity and understanding between countries in the region. It is also held to promote good sports records, techniques and tactics, and create the conditions for athletes to compete at the highest level in order to get better results at the Asian and Olympic Games.
Before 1975, the SEA Games was named the SEAP Games (South East Asian Peninsula Games). The first SEAP Games was organised in 1959 in Bangkok, Thailand and attended by only six countries including Laos. Singapore became the 7th member after it separated from Malaysia to be an independent nation in 1965 and then Indonesia and the Philippines joined the Games in 1977.
In 1997, Brunei was recognised as an official member, raising the total of official members to 10 countries and last year's SEA Games in Vietnam saw an increase to 11 countries when East Timor joined.
The Philippines will host the 23rd SEA Games in 2005. They will then be hosted by Thailand in 2007 before Laos takes its turn in 2009.