Post by Laoupdate on Feb 1, 2005 23:52:42 GMT -5
Laos must do better!
Sisay Vilaysack
MANY local people and sponsors disagreed about whether it was good or bad for the development of Lao athletes when the National Sports Leaders' Meeting last week in Savannakhet announced that the National Games would be held after the SEA Games.
The National Games is a big event in Laos and is supposed to be held every two years; but four years have gone by since the 2000 Games in Vientiane.
This is the fourth time that the 7th National Games have been delayed. The Games due to take place in Savannakhet province in 2002 were cancelled when the hosts ran out of money for a new stadium. It was supposed to take place in 2003, but was called off again when the new stadium for the opening and closing ceremonies was not completed.
Hosts Savannakhet then announced the Games for October this year, but again they have been postponed until after the SEA Games in the Philippines, November 27 to December 5. The 7th National Games are now scheduled to run December 15-23.
Many are asking why Laos cannot have the National Games before the SEA Games, thus giving the best chance to pick the best in-form athletes for the Philippines. If not, how can the selectors see who the best athletes are? This, people say, bodes badly for the Lao athletic team.
Former national football goalkeeper Soulivane Seunvilay said, "The best way would be for Laos to hold its National Games before the SEA Games so that we can pick the very best team."
"Maybe it is possible to find the best athletes without the big local event, but they may be different, as some may be out of form," he said.
If athletes go to the SEA Games without getting into competition form, the old 'we lack experience, tactics and fitness' defence will come up again from athletes and coaches when they return without medals. People say they have heard the excuse enough times and don't want to hear it again.
Critical fans say, no more attending events only for the experience, we want to win, to perform better to show the world that Lao athletes can do as well as other countries.
One or two gold medals from Lao athletes at the SEA Games would not be enough for Lao fans. Laos needs to win more gold to show how Lao athletes have developed before we host the SEA Games in 2009.
Laos has only 10 months to prepare teams in all sports in the SEA Games. It will be difficult to select the best athletes and also not easy to pick up more gold from the SEA Games. The competition gets stronger every time.
Now is the time to hold more local tournaments, because right now people can only see development in football, boxing and petanque. But teams must compete in other sports at the SEA Games. The clock is ticking.
The National Sports Committee's Sports Elite Department Director, Sengphone Phon-amath, told the media that each sport would start selecting their best players this month, asking them to train at the national training centre.
NSC has decided to send teams in only 11 sports for this SEA Games. These include: swimming, athletics, petanque, taekwondo, boxing, wushu, kickboxing, judo, karatedo, shooting and football.
Sengphone Phon-amath said, "We aim to win medals in petanque, taekwondo, boxing, wushu, kickboxing, judo, karatedo and shooting, while the swimmers and athletes are attending because it is required by the International Olympic Committee."
"Laos has no hopes for medals in football, but must send a team because football is now the number one sport for Lao people and the world," he said.
Karatedo is a new event in which Laos hopes to score medals, after the team amazed the world with its first-ever bronze at the World Karatedo Championships in Frankfurt, Germany last year. In the SEA Games, Laos has never won a karatedo medal. Football in Laos is struggling because Lao footballers are playing in an amateur league. This is why the Lao team has never reached the semi-finals at the SEA Games or other major Asian tournaments.
At the 2003 Vietnam SEA Games, Lao athletes won one gold (petanque), five silver (in petanque, boxing and shuttlethingy) and 15 bronze medals (judo, boxing, shuttlethingy, taekwondo, handball, wushu, wrestling, shooting and fin swimming). Laos came 8th in the final country medal ranking.
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Ref. Vientianetimes.org.la
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