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.
JOHOR BARU : Archery, cycling and weightlifting have made it to the list of sports for next year’s 25th edition of the SEA Games, scheduled to be held in Laos from Dec 13-21.
Laos, who are hosting the biennial meet for the first time, did not include the three sports when they came out with the initial list of 22 sports earlier this year.
But in the South-East Asia Games Federation (SEAGF) meeting, which concluded yesterday, Laos have agreed to include the three Olympic sports.
The other sports in the final programme are aquatics (swimming and diving), athletics, badminton, billiards and snooker, boxing, football, golf, judo, karate, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, tennis, taekwondo, muay thai, petanque, silat, fin swimming, shuttlecock kicking, volleyball (including beach volleyball), wrestling and wushu.
Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) vice-president Datuk W.Y. Chin, who attended the meeting in Laos, confirmed that the three sports would be contested in next year’s SEA Games.
However, there will be only road cycling competition as Laos do not have the funds to build a velodrome for the track disciplines.
“They have agreed on 25 sports and a total of 398 events altogether,” he said from Laos yesterday.
“However, the Philippines have appealed for basketball to be included and even offered to finance the expenses. However, Laos mentioned that they do not have a basketball arena with wooden flooring.”
Chin added that a decision should be made before the year is over.
Laos have also decided to host all the 25 sports in their capital Vientiane.
The inclusion of the three Olympic sports is certainly good news for Malaysia, who have strong medal chances especially in archery.
In the Korat SEA Games last year, Malaysia had a medal haul of 68-52-95 to finish second overall behind hosts Thailand.
from:http://www.sportsmalaysia.net/2008/11/15/laos-sea-games-2009-three-new-sports/
Hội đồng thể thao Đông Nam Á (SEAGF) vừa quyết định đưa thêm bốn môn là cử tạ, xe đạp, bắn cung và bóng nước, nâng số môn thi đấu ở SEA Games 25 lên 28 môn.
Trước cuộc họp của Hội đồng thể thao Đông Nam Á, nước chủ nhà Lào đã đồng ý sẽ tổ chức 24 môn thi đấu là điền kinh, nhảy cầu, bơi, cầu lông, billiards & snooker, quyền anh, bóng đá, golf, judo, karatedo, cầu mây, bắn súng, bóng bàn, taekwondo, quần vợt, bóng mềm, bóng chuyền, vật, wushu, muay Thái, lặn, bi sắt, đá cầu và pencak silat. Tuy nhiên theo đề nghị của các nước, SEAGF đã quyết định đưa thêm 4 môn kể trên vào thi đấu.
Đây được xem là tin mừng với thể thao Việt Nam bởi xe đạp và cử tạ là hai môn mà chúng ta có rất nhiều khả năng giành huy chương vàng. Tuy nhiên, thành công nhất với thể thao Việt Nam chính là việc thuyết phục được SEAGF và Lào đưa lặn và đá cầu vào chương trình tranh tài. Đây là hai môn thế mạnh độc tôn của Việt Nam ở khu vực Đông Nam Á.
Trong số 28 môn thi đấu vừa được quyết định, Việt Nam chưa có VĐV ở hai môn muay Thái và bóng mềm và hiện tại Tổng cục TDTT cũng chưa có ý định đào tạo VĐV. Vậy nên dự kiến chúng ta sẽ tham dự 26 môn ở SEA Games 25. Với chương trình thi đấu này, Việt Nam hy vọng sẽ đạt vị trí cao trong bảng tổng sắp huy chương.
from:http://vnexpress.net/GL/The-thao/2008/11/3BA086D5/
Mot chut trong vang vi kha it nguoi ham mo ra don doi cung khong lam cho buoi le chao mung cac tuyen thu Olympic VN dang quang tro ve vi the ma mat di niem vui, su tu hao ve nhung nguoi hung vo dich Merdeka Cup 2008
Chieu qua, 26-10, luc 15 gio 45 phut, 28 thanh vien cua doi tuyen Olympic VN vua dang quang tai Merdeka Cup 2008 da ve den san bay Tan Son Nhat (TPHCM) trong su chao don tuy hoi trong vang nhung van day ap tinh cam cua mot so nguoi ham mo VN. Do bi hoan chuyen bay, Chu tich LDBD VN (VFF) Nguyen Trong Hy da khong kip co mat de dong vien toan doi, du vay, van co nhieu quan chuc cua VFF va TPHCM den chao mung tuyen Olympic VN. Dac biet trong so do co ca HLV Pham Huynh Tam Lang va ong Nguyen Van Mong, hai cuu danh thu tuyen VN tung mang ve chiec Cup Merdeka dau tien cho bong da VN cach nay 42 nam.
Phut nghen ngao cua hai the he
Nhin nhung cai bat tay that chat, that lau giua hai the he nguoi hung moi va cu cua bong da VN la Pham Huynh Tam Lang, Nguyen Van Mong (vo dich Merdeka Cup 1966) voi Mai Duc Chung, Le Thuy Hai (dan dat tuyen VN vo dich Merdeka Cup 2008), khong it nguoi co mat tai buoi chao don nha vo dich moi cua Cup Merdeka cam thay xuc dong. 42 nam ke tu chien thang 1-0 truoc Myanmar o tran chung ket, Merdeka Cup da trai qua nhieu bien dong, nhieu lan phai tam hoan nhung cai cam xuc dang quang ngay tren dat Malaysia chac chan se con duoc hai the he nguoi hung nho mai.
Sau nhung khoanh khac bui ngui giua hai the he HLV – cuu danh thu, khong khi tro nen chon ron hon han voi nhung loi chuc tung danh cho cac cau thu tre Olympic VN, nhung nguoi da vuot qua chu nha Malaysia hung manh nhat giai - ghi 18 ban va khong de lot luoi ban nao - tren cham luan luu 11 m. Tien dao Duc Thien hao hung khoe: “Ca doi hoi hop lam boi khan gia Malaysia cuong nhiet qua! Moi khi chung toi nem bien hay thay nguoi, ho nem hang chuc chai nuoc, dot phao no dinh tai nhuc oc de lam cau thu hoang mang. Rat may nho thay Chung va thay Hai, bon toi cung vung tam va tap trung vao chuyen mon tot hon”. Trong luc mot so cau thu bi bao gioi phong van lien tuc hoac duoc cac lanh dao VFF va TPHCM chuc mung thi hau ve Long Giang, tien dao Thanh Binh va Van Khai lai cuc ky ban ron ben nguoi than khi ho doi mua ra san bay don. Long Giang tang ngay cho cau em trai mot chiec o to do choi, trong khi Van Khai to ra ben len khi duoc me om hon va hua se nau nhung mon that ngon cho “cau am” vao bua com toi.
Tin o tuong lai
HLV Mai Duc Chung to ra than trong khi cho rang SEA Games 2009 van con hon mot nam de chuan bi, se con nhieu bien doi ve luc luong cua tuyen Olympic VN cung nhu cac doi thu. Dong thoi, HLV noi tieng mat tay nay con khang dinh chuc danh HLV truong tuyen Olympic VN se do LDBD VN quyet dinh va neu duoc giao trong trach, ong san sang nhan loi. Tham chi, khi duoc hoi lieu ong co dong y lam tro ly cho HLV Calisto neu LDBD VN yeu cau HLV nguoi Bo Dao Nha dan dat luon ca tuyen Olympic VN du SEA Games nam toi, HLV Mai Duc Chung cung cho biet ong luon san sang nhan nhiem vu duoc cap tren giao pho. Dieu nay chac chan se giai toa nhung nghi van ve chuyen co khuc mac giua hai HLV Calisto va Mai Duc Chung ma du luan ram ran thoi gian gan day.
SEA Games 25 van con la tuong lai nhung voi nhung gi cac cau thu tre nhu Danh Ngoc, Nhat Nam, Duc Thien, Thanh Binh hay Tan Truong da the hien, nguoi ham mo co quyen hy vong vao mot tuong lai tuoi sang hon cho Olympic VN. Truoc mat, cac hoc tro cua HLV Mai Duc Chung se chuan bi da giao huu cung cac cuu danh thu Brazil vao ngay 31-10 toi truoc khi len duong sang Myanmar du giai giao huu cua nuoc nay dien ra tu ngay 9 den 15-11
(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.
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.
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 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
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.
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.
This entry was posted on December 17, 2007 at 3:06 pm and is filed under National Team. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
One Response to “Laos scraps baseball for 2009 SEA Games”
