The national rehabilitation center is hosting the 1 st Lao international wheelchair basketball tournament from January 15 th to 16 th, at its new indoor sport building. There are four disabled basketball teams, with the Lao hosts competing against Japanese Thai and Malaysian teams. The tournament it meant to foster friendship and fitness and improve the athletes’ skill. The new facility for disabled was formally handed over at ceremony yesterday with the Grant assistant for the grass-roots Human Security project signing the facilities over to the government. Social welfare, Mrs. Onchanh Thammavong, and the honorable president of Asian Development Disabled People, Mr. Eita YASHIRO, cut a ribbon to open the new building. “We will be ready to host the International Disabled games after finishing the SEA Games in 2009 in Laos” Said the president of the Disabled People’s Association, Singkham Takounphack. There will be basketball, badminton, table tennis and weightlifting competition at the disabled games, which will take place at the new stadium. “We hope that Asian Development for Disabled Persons will help arrange expert trainers to improve our athletes in preparation for Disabled Games, ” he said. The Lao team is aiming to win medals at event Last year, the mentally disabled team won 10 gold medals at the special Olympics in Thailand. The Japanese Grant Assistance fund paid US$126,524 for the new facility, which was finished in December.
The facilities will allow for disabled people to improve their health and fitness, as well as encouraging disabled athletes to compete at highest possible level.