The Thai Tourism and Sports Ministry has pledged to help Laos improve the National Football Stadium and other sport facilities in Vientiane in preparation for the 25th SEA Games in 2009, local media reported.

The ministry will spend about 21.3 billion kip (roughly 2.4 million USD) on upgrading the sports facilities in the capital city and another sum of 1.5 billion kip for training referees, athletes and officials of the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC), said the Lao news agency (KPL) on September 4.

“The ministry is ready to assist Laos with its preparation for the games,” Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Weerasak Kowsurat was quoted as saying.

“The sporting collaboration would help strengthen the relations between Laos and Thailand,” he added.

Once completed, the football stadium can hold more than 10,000 audiences, according to the news agency

THAILAND - The next host for SEA Games in 2009, Laos, has announced that only 25 sports will be held in the upcoming SEA Games
Hosting for their first time, Laos lack the infrastructure and timespan to build facilities thus the drop of many sports such as equestrian, gymnastics, dance sport, cycling, basketball, fencing, softball, chess all water sports and softball
The only sport that will be contested is traditional boat race, wrestling, wushu, karate-do, muay, petanque, sepak takraw, shooting, football/futsal, golf, handball, judo, pencak silat, shuttle cock, snooker and billiards, archery, athletics, badminton, bowling, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, aquatics, boxing and volleyball/beach volleyball
The next date for 25th SEA Games is tentatively set at December 13-21 in Vientiane, Laos. The main area of focus will be at Luangprabang and Champasak
Currently in plan is a $46-million main stadium, $6 million training facility and a new hotel to house an expected figure of 2,500 athletes
With the sudden drop of sports with the announcement by Dr. Phauthong Seng-Akhon, president of the Laos Olympic Committee, Thailand has offered to host and play some games near the Thai-Laotian border so as to accomodate the axed dropped sports