Karatedo Federation to hold games test run

The Lao Karatedo Federation will do a test run at the Lao-Japan Budo Centre to make sure everything runs smoothly at the SEA Games next month.

The federation will hold the Karatedo Test Event on November 20-21 to identify any potential problems with the organising committee, the national karatado team and the Budo Centre.

It has already held a training course for a volunteer team to work during the test event.

The federation will send 50 Lao karatedo fighters to the test event, who will compete against teams from Thailand and Vietnam .

A referee from Vietnam will judge the competition and organisers will buy some karatedo equipment from China .

The test event will include men's and women's singles, and a men's and women's team in the dancing competition.

The male categories will be 61kg, 67kg and over 70kg divisions and women will compete in 55kg, 60kg and 75kg divisions.

On Tuesday, the federation received more than 100 million kip from various companies to fund the competition.

The ceremony in Vientiane was attended by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment and karatedo federation consultant, Dr Bounthavy Sisouphanthong, and federation officials.

Currently the Lao team is being trained by Japanese, Vietnamese and Lao coaches at the National Sports Training Centre in Sikeut village in Naxaithong district.

Lao Karatedo Federation President Vilayvong Boutdhakham said the Asian Karatedo Federation will provide a referee of international standard to assist in judging the SEA Games.

Spectators can purchase tickets for 30,000 kip.

The newly-built Budo Centre was funded by the Japanese government.

Male and female karatedo fighters trained in Hanoi , Vietnam , from September to October, hoping to boost their SEA Games medal chances.

From April to June this year, six women and 10 men in a variety of categories also trained in Hanoi .

At the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007, the Lao karatedo team won a bronze medal in the fighting event but was unsuccessful in the dance event. The dance events include men's and women's singles, and men's and women's teams.

The fighting events consist of the men's 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 and 80kg weight categories, and women's 48, 53, 60 and over 60kg categories.

By Sangkhomsay Bubphanouvong
(Latest Update Novembe 12, 2009)