HANOI, Nov. 26 (Xinhua) -- Lao women's boat crew are expected to pick up a medal at the 24th South East Asian (SEA) Games, to beheld in Thailand next week, Lao newspaper Vientiane Times reported Monday.

    The team's coach Soradeth Puttho is confident that they can get either gold, silver or bronze. The crew of 12 women from Thapha village in Hadxaifong district of Vientiane are making their final preparations for the games.

    "We chose the team from Thapha village to represent Laos at the games because they've taken part in several traditional boat races around Vientiane and most of them have been in winning teams since 1996," said the coach.

    He said they had also attended previous international competitions in Thailand and Indonesia in recent years. They had once won a silver medal at an international meet, but not at the SEA Games. The team had been winning races since they started racing in 1990.