Wednesday, 09 December 2009 04:27 DAP-NEWS
(Posted by CAAI News Media)
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen will lead a senior delegation to attend the opening ceremony of the 25th SEA Games in Laos today, a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MFA) obtained on Tuesday said.
PM Hun Sen was invited by his Lao counterpart Bouason Boupphavanh after his recent visit to Cambodia.
Hun Sen will take part with other ASEAN leaders including Myanmar’s Prime Minister General Thein Sein, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung at Wednesday’s ceremony in Vientiane, the Vientiane Times reported.
Cambodia sent 204 athletes to attend the games. A total of 4,869 athletes will vie for 370 gold, 370 silver and 539 bronze medals. The host nation sent 482 athletes and 261 officials; Vietnam 671 athletes and officials; Malaysia 469; Indonesia 465; the Philippines 413; Myanmar 400; Singapore 392; Brunei 79; and East Timor 77, the Vientiane Times said.
Thailand is sending 550 athletes and 292 officials, making it the largest participant in the 25th SEA Games, according to its state-run news.
The December 9-18 games in the Laotian capital will be the largest international event hosted by the land-locked, communist country since the ASEAN summit in 2004. Local and foreign spectators have complained that black market tickets for the Vietnam-Thailand football match were overpriced at 200,000 kip (US$22), a hefty mark-up from the official rate of 50,000 to 70,000 kip per ticket.
Stadium history:
“Laos has enough budget for the construction of 25th SEA Games stadium, thanks to the financial support of Chinese Development Bank worth about US$ 80 million,” the website of 25th Sea game reported. It added that the Laos National Sports Complex is located about 20 km from the centre of Vientiane City and comprises a 20,000 seating capacity main stadium, a 2,000 seating capacity indoor aquatics complex, with a outdoor warm-up pool, a tennis centre consisting of 2,000 seating capacity centre court plus 6 other tennis court, two indoor stadiums each with seating capacity of 3,000 and a indoor shooting range with 50 seats. The sports complex is in a sprawling 185 ha site, with an Olympic Park, adequate parking lots, lakes and open spaces. An archery centre may be constructed in the open space next to the shooting range.
History of the SEA Games:
The Southeast Asian Games owes its origins to the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games or SEAP Games. On May 22, 1958, delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian peninsula attending the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo, Japan had a meeting and agreed to establish a sports organization. The SEAP Games was conceptualized by Laung Sukhumnaipradit, then Vice-President of the Thailand Olympic Committee. The proposed rationale was that a regional sports event will help promote cooperation, understanding and relations among countries in the Southeast Asian region. Thailand, Burma (now Myanmar), Malaya (now Malaysia), Laos, South Vietnam (now incorporated into Vietnam) and Cambodia (with Singapore included thereafter) were the founding members. These countries agreed to hold the Games biannually. The SEAP Games Federation Committee was formed.
The first SEAP Games were held in Bangkok December 12-17, 1959 comprising more than 527 athletes and officials from Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Singapore, South Vietnam and Laos participating in 12 sports.
At the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, the SEAP Federation considered the inclusion of Indonesia and the Philippines.The two countries were formally admitted in 1977, the same year when SEAP Federa- tion changed their name to Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF), and the games were known as the Southeast Asian Games. Brunei was admitted at the 10th SEA Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, and East Timor at the 22nd SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In December 2005, the Philippines hosted the Games for the third time, after 1981 and 1991 editions. With its 113 gold medals, it copped the over-all championship for the first time since it joined in 1977.
The 2007 Southeast Asian Games held in Thailand. The next host for the SEA Games is Laos. It is Laos’ first time to host for the biannual games.
Hosting tally
Country Event Hosted Year Hosted
Thailand 6 1959, 1967, 1975, 1985, 1995, 2007
Malaysia 6 1965, 1971, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2015
Philippines 4 1981, 1991, 2005, 2019
Indonesia 4 1979, 1987, 1997, 2011
Singapore 4 1973, 1983, 1993, 2013
Myanmar 2 1961, 1969
Vietnam 2 2003, 2023
Brunei 2 1999, 2017
Laos 1 2009
Cambodia¹ 1 2021
Timor-Leste - -
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