Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun has been elected as the new President of the National Olympic Committee of Laos (NOCL).
Also the Minister for Education and Sports in the Asian country, Lachanthaboun will serve a four-year term until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
She is also the President of the Lao Table Tennis Federation with her election coming amid closer ties between the Laos NOC and the country’s Sport Ministry.
Lachanthaboun feels that it her “honour and responsibility” to continue the development of sport in Laos, and has pledged to “commit herself fully to the task of promoting and fostering the Olympic movement in Laos and the world”.
“We look forward to working closely with the International Olympic Committee, Association of National Olympic Committees, Olympic Council of Asia and the family of other NOCs to strengthen our bilateral relations,” said vice president and secretary general Somphu Phongsa.
Phongsa had been the acting President of the organisation before Lachanthaboun’s election.
Laos has never won an Olympic medal and sent six athletes to the Rio 2016 Games in August.
Athletes Xaysa Anousone and Laenly Phoutthavong competed on the track in the men’s 110 metres hurdles and women’s 100m respectively, with cyclist Ariya Phounsavath failing to finish the men’s road race.
Judoka Soukphaxay Sithisane competed in the men’s under-60 kilogram class with swimmers Santisouk Inthavong and Siri Arun Budcharern racing in the men’s and women’s 50m freestyle respectively.
Source: Inside the Games
