Lao athletes to aim for victory at SEA Games

All members of the Lao team will do their best to emerge victorious in their events at the 31st South-East Asian (SEA) Games to be held in Vietnam during May 12-23.

General Chansamone Chanyalath speaks at the meeting at the NUOL on Wednesday.   --Photo Johnnie Naitro

This was the message conveyed by the Ministry of Education and Sports and the National Olympic Committee of Laos during a news conference held at the National University of Laos  on Wednesday. Officials said all members of the Lao team were fully prepared for the SEA Games, and they encouraged Lao fans to cheer and support the national team.
The news conference was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defence, General Chansamone Chanyalath, the Minister of Education and Sports, Prof. Dr Phout Simmalavong, senior officials of different ministries, and representatives of the national team and the main sponsors.
General Chansamone said leaders and sport trainers should respect the rules and be more responsible while helping the Lao athletes achieve higher standards.
He said the leaders of the team are trying their best and are excited about the upcoming games. He requested the trainers and athletes to maintain good spirits and friendliness while competing with their counterparts from Asean countries.
The 31st SEA Games also symbolise the special friendly relations between the young athletes of Laos and Vietnam. The members of the Lao team will have an opportunity to improve their skills at an international level.
During the news conference, the Lao Brewery Company provided 400 million kip and the Football Thai Factory Sporting Goods Co Ltd provided more than 666 million kip to support the Lao team competing in the SEA Games.  Other companies also provided funds to back the team.
Each sport federation of Laos will pay 10 million kip to an athlete winning a gold medal, 7 million kip to an athlete winning a silver medal and 5 million kip to an athlete winning a bronze medal at the SEA Games.
The government allocated a budget of 9 billion kip to support athletes during their training for the games.
The 11 sports federations that funded the training of athletes are in-charge of disciplines such as men’s and women’s football, badminton, tennis, golf, rugby and e-sport.
A total of 168 athletes, who were assisted by 32 trainers, are set to demonstrate their prowess at the games after weeks of intensive training.
These athletes will compete in kickboxing, vovinam, petanque, muay, wushu, billiards and snooker, judo, cycling, pencak silat, wrestling, sepak takraw, taekwondo, karate-do, track and field, boxing, archery, weightlifting, bodybuilding, swimming, football, badminton, tennis, golf, rugby, gymnastics, baseball, beach volleyball, table tennis and e-sport.
Vietnam is organising 40 sports events as part of the 31st SEA Games. Representatives of the Ministry of Education and Sports and the National Olympic Committee of Laos attended five online meetings of the SEAGF Council and discussed the organising of the SEA Games.
The Ministry of Education and Sports allocated funds to provide sports equipment needed for the training of the Lao athletes.
In 2019, Lao athletes competed in 24 disciplines at the last edition of the SEA Games held in the Philippines. The country won a gold medal in kickboxing, and five silver and 29 bronze medals in other disciplines.

By Sangkhomsay Buphanouvong
(Latest Update May 6, 2022)