VIENTIANE, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Laos' four snooker players are training hard on the tables at Vientiane bowling indoor stadium in the hope of winning medals at the upcoming 29th SEA Games in Malaysia this August.
The 29th SEA Games' snooker event will feature men's singles, doubles and team events. Lao Ministry of Education and Sports is confident that the country's snooker team can return with a medal from the games, reported Lao state-run media Vientiane Times on Friday.
The Lao team's confidence is based around its two experienced players, Daophachan Phoutthabandith and Sitthideth Sakbieng. Sitthideth previously won a silver medal at the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar in 2013 and is ready to do his best this August.
Meanwhile, Daophachan's experience includes competing at the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in 2007 and the 25th SEA Games in Laos in 2009. Unfortunately, the Lao snooker team was unsuccessful in the medal hunt on home soil and finished in eighth place.
This year, local players have attended several snooker events in Laos as well as ASEAN level tournaments in neighboring countries.
Following the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia, the Lao Snooker and Billiards Federation will begin planning to assist the event for the 11th National Games of Laos to be hosted by northern Xiengkhuang province in November next year.