First check of SEA Games complex set for April
Photo: The SEA Games main stadium as it looked last month, with construction now about 80 percent complete.
All facilities at the 25th SEA Games sports complex are now more than 80 percent complete, site manager Kiengkham Phoutchanhthavongsa said yesterday.
“We are confident that construction of all venues at the site will be finished by the end of March. We are now putting the finishing touches to the facilities at each venue, installing furniture and building roads around the complex,” he said.
“When construction is finished, there will be three months of checks of the facilities at all venues in the complex to make sure everything is functioning properly. The schedule of tests runs from April to June, after which we will hand over the complex to the Lao SEA Games Organising Committee.”
The 125-hectare sports complex is located in Dongsanghine village, Xaythany district, Vientiane , and houses the main stadium with a seating capacity of 20,000, which will be used for the football and track and field events and for the opening and closing ceremonies.
Other venues at the site comprise two indoor stadiums, each with a seating capacity of 3,000, an indoor swimming pool, tennis courts, and a shooting range.
Construction began on October 28, 2007, under a contract with the China Yunnan Construction Engineering Group Corporation. The cost of construction is more than US$80 million and has been arranged through a joint cooperation project between the Lao government and the China Development Bank.
The upgrading of other facilities, including indoor and football stadiums to be used for competition and training, is also in progress.
Meanwhile, work has finished on a new sports training centre on an 11-hectare site in Sikeud village, Naxaithong district.
The centre cost more than 35 billion kip (US$4 million) to build, financed by grant aid from the government of Vietnam . An opening ceremony will be held on January 18.
The centre comprises an office, sleeping quarters for athletes, a running track and playing field, a football pitch, a gymnasium and other facilities for sporting events. Up to 200 athletes will be able to train there every day.
Construction is also in progress on the athletes' village, which is located on a 42,000sqm site at the Dongdok campus, National University of Laos. It is scheduled for completion in August.
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
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.
(KPL) Mr. Somsavat Lengsavad, Standing Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Organising Committee for 25th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 2009) presented on 12 November an invitation card to the representative of 10 ASEAN member country for 25th SEA Games.
(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
Sepak Takraw (Malay: "kick" and Thai: "takraw") [1] or Kick Volleyball is a sport native to Southeast Asia, resembling volleyball, except that it uses a rattan ball and only allows players to use their feet and head to touch the ball. A cross between soccer and volleyball, it is a popular sport in Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos, Philippines and Indonesia.
In Thailand, the game is simply called Takraw. It is also thuck thay (Lao: "twine" and "kick").
Similar games include footbag net, footvolley, jianzi and sipa.
History
Sepak takraw was almost definitely based on the Chinese game of cuju (a name which also means "kick ball"). The sport would have been brought in through early trade and had already become popular in Malaysia and Thailand by the early 1400s. Back then it was called Takraw in Thai or Sepak Raga (literally "kick rattan ball", because the ball is made of rattan) in Malay and played mainly by men and boys standing in a circle, kicking the ball back and forth between them.
In Bangkok, murals at Wat Phra Kaew depict the Hindu god Hanuman playing takraw in a ring with a troop of monkeys. Other historical accounts mention the game earlier during the reign of King Naresuan of Ayutthaya. The game remained in its circle form for hundreds of years, and the modern version of sepak takraw began taking shape in Thailand sometime during early 1800s. In 1829, the Siam Sports Association drafted the first rules for takraw competition. Four years later, the association introduced the volleyball-style net and held the first public contest. Within just a few years, takraw was introduced to the curriculum in Siamese schools. The game became such a cherished local custom that another exhibition of volleyball-style takraw was staged to celebrate the kingdom’s first constitution in 1933, the year after Thailand abolished absolute monarchy. Later in 1935, the game was first played differently in in the state of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia during the Silver Jubilee celebration of SMK King George V. [2] By the 1940s, the net version of the game had spread throughout Southeast Asia, and formal rules were introduced. In the Philippines the sport was called "Sipa", in Myanmar, or Burma, it was dubbed "Chinlone", in Laos "Kator", "cầu mây" in Vietnam and in Indonesia "Raga." [1]
International play is now governed by ISTAF, the International Sepak Takraw Federation. The King's Cup Sepaktakraw World Championship is held every year in Thailand.
This new national stadium has been constructed at Km 16 in Xaythany district on Road 13 South of Vientiane city and is expected to be ready 3 months before the SEA Games start. The swimming pools, golf and tennis courts of world standard will be built near the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (ITECC).
The Lao national sport committee announced to organise some sports events in Vientiane, Luang prabang and Savannakhet provinces. The traditional boat racing, canoeing and other events will be held in Vientiane province. The first round of the men football competition will be held in Savannakhet because the new 15,000-seat stadium is completed. The new stadium in Luang prabang province will be used for women football competition.
Photo: New stadium used for the opening ceremony of the 7th National games in Savannakhet province, central Laos.
Photo: New stadium in Luang prabang province, nothern Laos.
Totally 25 sports will be competed at the 25th SEA GAMES in Vientiane, Laos including Lao traditional sports such as archery, top spinning and boat racing.
The Philippines will have to wait a foreseeable future to reclaim their Southeast Asian Games gold medal from Thailand.
Laos on Friday in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand announced its intention to slash the number of disciplines from 43 to only 25 for the 2009 edition of the regional event which includes baseball as one of those non-inclusions.
Other sports to be axed include basketball, gymnastics, cycling, softball, and triathlon.
Baseball has been a part of the games since the 2005 games in Manila that saw the host country taking the gold medal over Thailand. On the other hand, the Thais dethrone the Filipino batters to capture the crown this year.
The list includes archery, athletics, badminton, bowling, boxing, football, futsal, golf, handball, judo, karate-do, muay, petanque, pencak silat, sepak takraw, shooting, shuttle cock, snooker and billiards, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, traditional boat race, volleyball/beach volleyball, wrestling and wushu.
Officials from the next host cited the lack of facilities, little number of competitors, and weak participants as reasons for the cutback.
The games will be held in Vientiane for the 2009 games scheduled in December. It will be the lowest number of events to be held since the 1999 meet in Brunei which saw only 21 sports held in the oil-rich nation.
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