25th SEA GAMES, Vientiane, Laos 2009

Celebrating SEA Games' 50th Anniversary In Laos

By D.Arul Rajoo

VIENTIANE, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- When the capital of Laos, Vientiane, hosted the 10th Asean Summit in 2004, it was the first ever major international event for the land-locked country and one of the poorest in the world.

The once-sleepy hallow suddenly saw dozens of regional leaders, foreign diplomats and members of the media congregating for a major event, putting the country briefly back on the world map.

Laos, one of the two communist countries after Vietnam in the 10-nation grouping of Asean, even barred tourists to ensure a smooth Summit.

It was even reported that the authorities ordered the handful of bars in the city to close early and the women to cover up in the traditional ankle-length skirts.

Prior to this, Laos existed in relative obscurity with slow paced development and single party rule.

THE SEA GAMES

But things are definitely changing, albeit on a slower pace, with mushrooming internet cafes, rising foreign trade and investment, and increasing number of foreign tourists especially in the northern district of Luang Prabang.

Come December, Vientiane, the city on the banks of Mekong River will welcome more than 5,000 sportsmen and sportswomen, hundreds of regional media representatives and perhaps thousands of tourists, especially from neighbouring Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

The capital is being spruced up, roads being expanded from the narrow two lanes to four and a number of new hotels, including some owned by Malaysians, which had opened up for business in the past few months.

The 25th South East Asian Games, or better known as the SEA Games, will be hosted for the first time in Laos from 9-18 Dec, surprisingly 50 years after the Indochina nation co-founded the games with fellow Asean members.

Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad who is also the Chairman of the SEA Games Organising Committee is confident on Laos' readiness to host its first-ever SEA Games, though on a smaller scale compared with previous ones hosted by other members of Asean.

"Almost all the venues had been completed, including the National Sports Complex. We are fitting the sporting equipment now," he told Vientiane-based diplomats.

With no foreign media operating from here, not much information is available to the outside world, although some updates on preparations are available at http://www.laoseagames2009.com and www.vientianetimes.org.la.

The the biennial sports event will have 370 events, with 1,279 medals on offer, comprising of 370 gold, 370 silver and 539 bronze medals.

DON'T EXPECT FIVE STAR FARE

Visiting athletes have been reminded not to expect a five-star fare from the host, but efforts are underway to ensure comfort and full facilities for the guests.

For a country that still relies heavily on foreign development aid and with about 10 percent of the population living below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day, Laos has sought help from neighbours and regional allies to build the facilities.

China gave a big helping hand for the construction of the National Sports Complex costing more than US$100 million, and built by China's Yunnan Construction Engineering Group Corporation.

More than 3,000 Chinese workers took two years to complete the complex that boast a 20,000-capacity main stadium, two indoor stadiums with a seating capacity of 3,000 each, tennis courts, a shooting range and an aquatic sports centre.

The 4,000-bed Games Village, located at the National University, was built by Vietnamese firm Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) through a US$4 million aid and another US$15 million interest-free loan from the Vietnamese government.

To feed the athletes and officials, Laos is offering various types of food, including halal cuisine, when the Games Village opens it doors on Nov 25.

The renovation works on the Chao Anouvong Stadium (formerly the National Stadium) in the city centre has also been completed and will host the qualifying round of the men's football event.

Japan, Brunei Darussalam, South Korea, Thailand and the Olympic Council of Asia also contributed for the construction of several other venues, including a golf course and martial art halls.

"We are grateful that our neighbours and friends have come forward with generous contribution to build these venues," said Vice-President of the Lao National Sports Committee (LNSC), Somphou Phongsa.

"We initially planed to host the Games in three cities but because of the lack of funds and technical officials the government decided to have the games in Vientiane only," he said.

In fact, some of the major sponsors of the Games like FBT, TOT, CAT and PTT Group are from Thailand.

HOME ADVANTAGE

Though Laos had reduced the number of events from 43 in the 2007 SEA Games in Korat, Thailand to just 25 in Vientiane, with some of the participating nations being unhappy over this, the response is still overwhelming.

"In fact, some of our own athletes may have to stay outside as the games village may not able to accommodate all the 5,000 registered athletes," he said.

On the field, Laos, despite being a minnow in previous Games, is banking on the home ground advantage to make its mark especially in lesser-known sports like petanque, muay and shuttle**** as well as in the men's football.

More than 700 Laotian athletes are undergoing centralised training, and dozens of them from 11 sports have left to train overseas while foreign coaches from at least 10 countries have been hired.

To ensure no hiccups during the Games, Somphou said they would be bringing in 300 technical officials from overseas and another 1,000 locally-trained ones for the 25 sports as well as 3,000 volunteers.

RIGHTS ON COVERAGE

As in previous Games that were marred by controversies, Laos too is not spared from this. After cutting down the number of sports due to lack of facilities that angered some countries, its decision to sell broadcasting rights unleashed another storm.

For the first time TV rights were put on sale with the price set according to the economic standing of each nation.

For instance Laos' Phetchampa Advertising Company, that purchases and redistributes broadcasting rights, sold the right to a Thai media setup for 11 million baht.

Somphou defended the move, saying that it has been approved by the SEA Games Federation to help Laos to purchase broadcasting equipment and finance the coverage, adding that each national Olympic committee would also received 25 per cent from the deal.

In fact, 17 broadcasting vans from Vietnam, Thailand and Singapore have been roped in to provide coverage to the 560 million population of the region.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR LAOTIANS

For ordinary Laotians, new business opportunities and employment generated by the SEA Games provide them a lifeline.

A private taxi owner who only wants to be identified as Yoo said the number of tourists arriving in Laos has dropped in the past few months due to the global economic downturn.

"I normally take tourists from airport to hotel, and sometime to tourist areas. But business is not that good now, maybe things will be better in December," he said, driving an old Honda.

With just few more weeks to go before the football tournament kicks-off the region's mini Olympics, stalls selling various souvenirs such as t-shirts, key chains and banners have already been set up in the capital.

Visitors to Laos can also look forward to savour a variety of cuisine as there are plenty of western cafes, Thai and halal Indian restaurants.

-- BERNAMA

once-sleepy hallow suddenly saw dozens of regional leaders, foreign diplomats and members of the media congregating for a major event, putting the country briefly back on the world map.

very good