体坛英语新闻：Lao athletes eye 3-5 golds at upcoming SEA Games

VIENTIANE, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- Lao athletes are eyeing three to five gold medals at the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which has been scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during August 19-31, Lao state-run news agency KPL reported Wednesday.

The Lao athletic delegation comprises 285 athletes and 36 coaches. Lao athletes will compete in petanque, muay, taekwondo, wushu, sepak takraw and takraw-silone, pencak silat, billiards-snooker, cycling, archery, boxing, karatedo, judo, football, basketball, golf, shooting, table tennis, badminton, tennis, swimming, rugby and track-and-field, Director General of Elite Sports Department Sengphone Phonhamath was quoted as saying.

The SEA Games 2017 is expected to feature 39 different sports and draw almost 5,000 competitors from Southeast Asia.

At the 28th SEA Games in Singapore in 2015, Lao athletes managed to win four silvers and 25 bronze medals. Over 358 million kip (over 43,000 U.S. dollars) have been donated by private sector to support Lao athletes' participation in the 29th SEA Games, according to Lao Minister of Education and Sports Sengdeuane Lachanthaboun. Enditem