Facilities at the National Sports Complex appear Olympic class, although one problem is that the electrical and water systems, even the fire extinguishers, all bear instructions in Chinese, posing a linguistic challenge for Lao officials who are scheduled to assume management of the complex at the end of September.

'Some of the Chinese engineers will be kept on through the games to make sure there are no technical problems,' said Somphou Phongsa, vice president of the Lao National Committee of Sports and Physical Culture.

There are worries that maintenance of the new complex will deteriorate in the aftermath of the Games.

There are no such worries about the new international-standard golf course built with South Korean money two km north of the National Sports Complex.

After the event, the course promises to be popular among the Vientiane political elite, diplomats and the capital's large international aid community.

Other contributors to Laos' SEA Games effort include Vietnam, which built a $10-million athletes' dormitory with 4,000 beds, Japan which built the $5-million Chao Anu Vong Stadium in Vientiane for the judo and karate events, and Thailand that built a $2.5-million muay Thai-Lao boxing stadium.

The new stadiums will go far in terms of boosting Laos' sporting prowess in the future, which has suffered from the lack of international-class facilities in the past.

At this year's SEA Games, the host has set itself the modest goals of winning gold in the petanque and muay Thai-Lao events, and getting its football team into the semi-finals. Altogether there will be 25 sporting events.

At the 2007 SEA Games held in Korat, north-east Thailand, Laos was a gold medalist in petanque, a bowling game first introduced to the region by the French colonialists.

The game remains popular throughout Laos, as it only requires a small investment in a set of bowling balls and a fairly large back yard.

'We have foreign coaches in all sports except petanque and muay Lao,' Somphou said. 'For petanque you don't need a big field or expensive facilities.'