Beach volleyball teams have a point to prove

Members of the Lao national beach volleyball team are now in training at a sports complex in Dongsanghin village, Xaythany district, after training at Nongtha village for the past six months.

The team will train at the new grounds until the SEA Games kick off next month.

The squad is under the guidance of Chinese coach Mrs Qin Wen Hui and two Lao trainers.

One of the trainers, Mr Khankham Silichantho, said although the team has been training for a long time they lack match practice at the national and international levels.

The sports complex contains two training fields and a further two competition fields. There are also offices for officials from the Lao Volleyball Federation who will organise the beach volleyball events at the games from December 10-17.

The federation has two Lao referees and some umpires from neighbouring countries who will assist in adjudicating.

Teams from Vietnam , Singapore , the Philippines , Indonesia , Malaysia , Cambodia , Thailand , Timor Leste and Laos will contest the event, with Myanmar and Brunei not entering teams.

Each country is able to enter four males and females and there will be 16 male teams and 12 female teams contesting the event.

The federation will hold the draw for the event on December 8.

The Thai female and Indonesian male teams are favourites and are looking to defend their titles from the last SEA Games in Thailand in 2007.

Last May, a Lao male team competed in a friendly beach volley event in Cambodia that also included Vietnam , but were unable to beat their more experienced opponents.

However, the federation is confident the national squad can win at least a bronze medal when Laos hosts the games.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
(Latest Update Novembe 30 , 2009)