Xieng Khuang province will have all facilities prepared at the main football stadium, golf course, new indoor bowling stadium and 13 sports fields ahead of the 11th National Games to be held in the province in 2018.
The host province will be ready and able to host 28 different sporting events at the 11th National Games the year after next. In truth, Lao sports have been enjoying significant development in recent years and been expanding to many provinces.
Oudomxay province, which hosted the 2014 National Games, organised to host some 24 different sporting events while Xieng Khuang will add an additional four to bring the total to 28.
The Xieng Khuang provincial Administration Office held a meeting on Tuesday to report on preparations to use the main football stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies, the progress of the sports fields, and accommodation facilities.
The meeting also examined other works carried out by the games’ competition organising committee, which features 11 sub-committee teams.
The meeting was attended by Governor of Xieng Khuang province Prof Dr Somkot Mangnomek, Minister of Education and Sports, Ms Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun, deputy ministers of education and sports, and senior officials from Xieng Khuang province.
Ms Sengdeuane admired and evaluated the preparatory works already completed on the main football stadium. She said Xieng Khuang province would like to promote its reputation on the sporting field as well as more generally.
She requested the secretariat of the competition organising committee to take responsibility for all their works and also to try and save money where possible to ensure the new main stadium is of good quality.
Xieng Khuang province is currently ready to open the new indoor bowling stadium while the main football stadium to be used for both the opening and closing ceremonies is currently 45 percent complete.
It is expected that the stadium’s construction will be completed three months prior to the games.
Prof. Dr Somkot requested the committee to follow and check up on the work being carried out on the new national stadium.
Meanwhile improvements to the province’s two golf courses are currently 90 percent complete.
Xieng Khuang province will also repair 13 old sports fields for training as well as hosting the various sporting competitions at the 11th National Games.
During the meeting, the host province reported that a survey of the accommodation venues for athletes and trainers, which will include local schools, has already been carried out.
To accommodate officials and visiting sports fans, there are 16 hotels in the province which can accommodate 810 persons, as well as 69 guesthouses which can accommodate 1,768 persons.
Currently, local people are building an additional 10 accommodation facilities to cater to the expected inflow of guests.
At the 10th National Games in Oudomxay province in 2014, the Xieng Khuang provincial sporting teams finished in 10th place with nine gold, 17 silver and 22 bronze medals at the 10th games.
They of course hope to perform above that level on home soil in 2018.
Source: Vientiane Times
