Lao best petanque players to train in Thailand, Vietnam

Source: Xinhua| 2017-06-15 23:12:57|Editor: huaxia
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VIENTIANE, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The best eight male and eight female petanque players of Laos will attend training camps in Thailand and Vietnam next month before competing at the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia this August.

During the training camps, Lao players will test their skills against Thai and Vietnamese players and this is expected to give them the perfect preparation for the games, Coach Somxay Keopaseuth said on Thursday.

"Our players will hopefully win two gold medals at the 29th SEA Games after attending the training camps in neighboring countries," he was quoted by Lao state-run media Vientiane Times as saying.

"We are having discussions with the Elite Sports Department of the Ministry of Education and Sports to fund the team's attendance at training camps," he said.

In the meantime, the Lao petanque team is training at the Dongdok campus of the National University of Laos under the watchful eye of experienced Lao coach Vatsan Phommachan and a Thai coach. The team have also been living at Lao Petanque Federation accommodation since last month.

At the upcoming 29th SEA Games, Laos will compete in the men's and women's singles, doubles, mixed doubles and teams events with the stiffest opposition to come from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, younger Lao players will have the opportunity to compete at the ASEAN Schools Games in Singapore next month.

The Lao team will also compete at the World Petanque Championship for women's teams and junior male players in China in October and the Asian Petanque Championship taking place in Lao capital Vientiane this November.

Laos held onto its top ranking at the third ASEAN Petanque Championship on home soil last August after winning five gold, six silver and seven bronze medals from 12 events.

Laos won a sole silver medal in the petanque mixed doubles event at the Asian Beach Games in Vietnam last year.

At the 28th SEA Games in Singapore in 2015, Laos won bronze medals in the mixed doubles and women's team events, while at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar in 2013, Laos won four gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Enditem

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