NAKHON RATCHASIMA – Laos officially announced yesterday that only 25 sports will be played in the 2009 Southeast Asian Games which it will be hosting for the first time.

Laos had earlier announced that one sport it was scrapping was basketball.

Also axed were chess, softball, dance sport, gymnastics, bodybuilding, cycling, equestrian, fencing, softball and all water sports.



The sports to be played are aquatics, 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...more info>>

25th SEA Games are tentatively set Dec. 13 to 21, 2009 in Vientiane, Dr. Phauthong Seng-Akhon, president of the Laos Olympic Committee, announced Friday.

Seng-Akhon announced that China will build a $ 46-million main stadium while Vietnam will construct a $ 6 million training facility for the athletes.

Laos will also build a hotel near the proposed main stadium to house some of the 2,500 athletes it expects.

This will mark the first time that Laos will host the biennial Games.

Vientiane will be the main hub with some events scattered in Luangprabang and Champasak.

Thailand has already appealed to Laos officials that if they can’t hold some of the events, it was willing to host them and play the sports near the Thai-Laotian border.

source: www.mb.com.ph

(KPL) Lao Judo players won two gold medals more at the 24th SEA Games on 11 December.

Mayouly Phanouvong and Phonevane Si-amphone defeated Thai rivals, and Vietnamese’s in Ju-No Kata double’s women with the top 275.5 points, while Viengvilay Chansy and Chindavong Sivanvilay won the hearts of juries with their best performance in Nage-No Kata double’s men.

Lao athletes also won nine bronze medals including two from petanque, four from boxing, two from Mouay Lao and one from rugby on 11 December.
To 11 December Laos ranks the 8th in top-ten ASEAN Games chart wining four gold medals, one silver and 22 bronze medals.

KPL

Laos captured its first medals of the Games by winning gold in both the men's and women's shooting petanque in the 24th SEA GAMES in Korat, Thailand.
They are VATHANXAY KHAMPHAVONG and CHANCHAMONE VONGSAVATH from Vientiane and Champasak province.
Miss Vongsavath (18) is a young woman from Champasak province that makes her debut at the SEA GAMES for the first time. Back to the last SEA Games in 2005 in the Philippines, the Lao petanque team walked away with 2 gold medals, but all from the men's single and team events.

(KPL) The Lao Red Cross has won a gold medal of the Spanish Red Cross.
At a ceremony held last Tuesday in Barcelona, Spain, Princess Cristina of Spain conferred the medal on President of the Lao Red Cross Dr Snivourat Sramany. The presentation coincided with with the 179th anniversary of the International Red Cross.“On behalf of the Lao Red Cross, I am very proud to receive this distinguished Red Cross’ Medal, as it is the first medal our organisation has ever won,” said Dr. Snivourat

“We are among the 185 member countries of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) that deserve such award.”
The Spanish Red Cross has been assisting the Lao Red Cross since 1997 through supporting community development. The assistance is mostly provided through the IFRC, said Dr Snivourast.

“The Spanish Red Cross has helped us establish our provincial offices across the country, and in the year 2000 the Spanish Red Cross provided rice to flood victims in Laos,” he said.

Annually, the Spanish Red Cross provides to Laos 300-400 million kip for humanitarian activities.

Source: kpl.net.la