2009seagames 2009seagame 2009 SeAGAMES in Loas

This new national stadium has been constructed at Km 16 in Xaythany district on Road 13 South of Vientiane city and is expected to be ready 3 months before the SEA Games start. The swimming pools, golf and tennis courts of world standard will be built near the Lao International Trade Exhibition and Convention Centre (ITECC).

The Lao national sport committee announced to organise some sports events in Vientiane, Luang prabang and Savannakhet provinces. The traditional boat racing, canoeing and other events will be held in Vientiane province. The first round of the men football competition will be held in Savannakhet because the new 15,000-seat stadium is completed. The new stadium in Luang prabang province will be used for women football competition.

Labels: Stadium

Paxason Newspaper: The upcoming 23nd SEA GAMES in the Philippines, Laos will send 136 athletes
participating in 13 kinds of sport namely:
1. Football
2. Wushu
3. Wrestling
4. PETANQUE
5. Boxing
6. Shooting
7. Tennis
8. Golf
9. TAEKWONDO
10. Running
11. Judo
12. Karate
13. MUAY

Out of these sports, Laos has high hope to get gold medal from only 3 sports: PETANQUE, Boxing and
taekwondo.

Labels: Lao Sung

Lao Sung or more commonly Lao Soung are an ethnic group in East and Southeast Asia. Most Lao Soung live in China, Laos, and Vietnam. Small minorities live in Thailand and Burma. The ones in Laos, the actual Lao Soung, make up 9% of the Laotian population. The true Lao Soung aren't actually one single ethnic group but are made up of Hmong (the main group), Yao, Akha, Phu Noi and other people who live in the Laotian mountaintops. All these groups are related. Their main religions are animism, Buddhism, and Chinese folk religions. Some Lao Soung fought against the communist Pathet Lao government in 1975 to keep the Laotian monarchy in power. Many were moved from southern China and Laos to the U.S. and Australia in the 1960's, 70's, and 80's to escape the communist governments there.

Labels: Art of Laos, Cuisine of Laos, History of Laos, Lao Sung

All newspapers are published by the government, including two foreign language papers: the English-language Vientiane Times and the French-language Le Rénovateur. Additionally, the Khao San Pathet Lao, the country's official news agency, publishes English and French versions of its eponymous paper. Internet cafes, serving the tourist market, are now common in the major urban centres. However, the government strictly censors content and controls access.

Satellite television dishes, beaming content from Thailand, are common throughout Laos. Many Laotians access the outside world through Thai television programs.

Labels: Art of Laos, Cuisine of Laos, Media of Laos

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand, Dec 15 - Thailand's sports minister has poured scorn on accusations of foul play by the hosts of the Southeast Asian Games, insisting the Kingdom's runaway success is down to hard work and fervent home support.

After a flood of complaints about biased judging, ranging from minor grumbles to official boycotts, Tourism and Sports Minister Suvit Yodmani said the Games were fair and Thailand's 174 gold medals were well-deserved.

"It's down to the morale of our athletes," Suvit told Reuters.

"They have the crowd behind them, they are in high spirits. They also have the support of the government and have worked hard on sports psychology and mental preparation. I believe this will show at the Olympics too."

Although unable to match Indonesia's staggering tally of 194 gold medals in Jakarta in 1997, Thailand have dominated the 2007 Games with over 100 golds more than second-placed Malaysia.

Indonesia's Sports Minister Adhyaksa Dault reportedly threatened to withdraw his team because of biased judging, telling the Thai-language Phujadkarn newspaper on Friday: "I want friendship from this SEA Games. It is not important if we win or lose, we didn't get the points we deserved."

Malaysia withdrew its team from the sepak takraw competition -- a regional sport best described as volleyball with the feet -- because of the hosts' insistence on using a "dangerous" new rubber ball instead of the traditional rattan variety.

Before the Dec. 6-15 Games started, 10-pin bowling powerhouse Indonesia were furious when the Thai team were allowed to practice behind closed doors on the freshly-oiled lanes when the other teams were locked out.

"COMIC SHOW"

The Philippines forfeited six of their seven men's medals matches in protest of the "comic show" they said had prevailed a day earlier when only one of their female boxers won gold. Thailand won 16 of the 17 boxing gold medals.

Suvit, who was appointed by the military after last year's bloodless coup in Thailand, said the judges were internationally recognised and had no reason to show favouritism to the hosts.

"Some sports are controversial because it's totally up to the judges as to who wins. It's not a case of Thai judges giving Thais gold medals," he said.

"As for us, we know it's been a fair Games. The referees and judges are from other countries and are of international standard. There are always complaints about judging. It's part of sport."

At the 2005 Games in the Philippines, then Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra took a swipe at the hosts for "lacking athletic spirit" and vowed to stage the Games fairly in 2007.

Despite the motto of "spirit, friendship and celebration", the biennial 11-nation gathering is often dogged by tit-for-tat spats, dubious judging and cries of foul play by the hosts.

Labels: korat seagames, SEA Games

Theravada Buddhism is a dominant influence in Lao culture. It is reflected throughout the country from language to the temple and in art, literature, performing arts, etc. Many elements of Lao culture predate Buddhism, however. For example, Laotian music is dominated by its national instrument, the khaen, a type of bamboo pipe that has prehistoric origins. The khaen traditionally accompanied the singer in lam, the dominant style of folk music. Among the various lam styles, the lam saravane is probably the most popular.

The country has two World Heritage Sites: Luang Prabang and Wat Phou. The government is seeking the same status for the Plain of Jars.
Buddha Park, near Vientiane along the "Mighty Mekong"
Buddha Park, near Vientiane along the "Mighty Mekong"

The People's Republic of China has recently allowed its citizens to travel more freely to Laos[citation needed]. As such, Chinese tourists are expected to account for 25% of the total number of visitors to Laos (up from only a few percent) in 2006. Pressures to modernize tourist infrastructure, particularly to cater to package tourism, are expected to significantly impact Luang Prabang and other culturally important Laotian cities. The people of Laos are very kind and welcoming to all visitors.

Rice is the staple food and has cultural and religious significance. There are many traditions and rituals associated with rice production in different environments, and among many ethnic groups. For example, Khammu farmers in Luang Prabang plant the rice variety Khao Kam in small quantities near the hut in memory of dead parents, or at the edge of the rice field to indicate that parents are still alive

Labels: Art of Laos, Cuisine of Laos, Dance and theater of Laos, Festivals of Laos, Music of Laos

69% of the country's people are ethnic Lao, the principal lowland inhabitants and the politically and culturally dominant group. The Lao belong to the Tai linguistic group who began migrating southward from China in the first millennium AD. A further 8% belong to other "lowland" groups, which together with the Lao people make up the Lao Loum. Hill people and minority cultures of Laos such as the Hmong (Miao), Yao (Mien), Tai dumm, Dao, Shan, and several Tibeto-Burman speaking peoples have lived in isolated regions of Laos for many years. Mountain/hill tribes of mixed ethno/cultural-linguistic heritage are found in northern Laos which include the Lua (Lua) and Khammu people who are indigenous to Laos. Today, the Lua people are considered endangered. Collectively, they are known as Lao Soung or highland Laotians. In the central and southern mountains, Mon-Khmer tribes, known as Lao Theung or mid-slope Laotians, predominate. Some Vietnamese and Chinese minorities remain, particularly in the towns, but many left in two waves; after independence in the late 1940s and again after 1975.

The term "Laotian" does not necessarily refer to the ethnic Lao language, ethnic Lao people, language or customs, but is a political term that also includes the non-ethnic Lao groups within Laos and identifies them as "Laotian" because of their political citizenship. In a similar vein the word "Lao" can also describe the people, cuisine, language and culture of the people of Northeast Thailand (Isan) who are ethnic Lao.

The predominant religion is Theravada Buddhism which, along with the common Animism practiced among the mountain tribes, coexists peacefully with spirit worship. There also are a small number of Christians, mostly restricted to the Vientiane area, and Muslims, mostly restricted to the Myanmar border region. Christian missionary work is regulated by the government.

The official and dominant language is Lao, a tonal language of the Tai linguistic group. Midslope and highland Lao speak an assortment of tribal languages. French, still common in government and commerce, has declined in usage, while knowledge of English, the language of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has increased in recent years

Labels: Demographics of Laos, Laos, Laos in 2009