Sport
In the past 30 years Lao sport has been developed consistently. The Party and Government have actively promoted sports by drawing up a national sport strategy. Sporting administration offices, along with stadiums and training centres both central and local have also been improved and upgraded. Currently, there are 27 sport federations across the country. Thanks to these efforts sports in the country have grown and developed. Besides annual and national tournaments, Ministries, organisations, and local areas are continually organising sporting competitions of various kinds to promote both physical exercise and to build the community’s solidarity.
To date, six national games have been organised and traditional sport contest have been held since the beginning of 1999. Apart from sport activities domestically, Lao athletes have been sent to compete in eight sub-regional tournaments and seven regional games and other sporting contests. They have gained some proud achievements at these competitions, including gold medals in table tennis tournament (young female singles) on three continents, Asia, Africa and Latin America, in 1976; a bronze medal in international boxing at the seventh Asian Games in 1990, in China; a gold medal at the Asia-Pacific Petangue Tournament in 2000, in Vientiane Capital; and several medals at the eighth Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

top of page