Venues ready for 13th Asian Games<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Thai and Chinese national soccer teams will
\nplay a friendly match Saturday to try out the newly built Hua
\nMark Royal Stadium, Bangkok's venue for the opening and closing
\nceremonies of the 13th Asian Games in December.<\/p>\n
The chairman of the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT),
\nSahchal Tabsuwan, said the friendly match would test the
\nstadium's operating facilities. The match will also serve as a
\ntrial run for alleviating traffic congestion before and after the
\ncompetition.<\/p>\n
The match is jointly organized by SAT, the Bangkok Asian Games
\nOrganizing Committee (BAGOC) and Thailand's soccer association,
\nthe Games information center said in a release made available to
\nThe Jakarta Post yesterday.<\/p>\n
China took the silver in the previous Asian Games in
\nHiroshima, Japan, four years ago after losing 2-4 to debutant
\nUzbekistan in the final. The former Soviet republic beat
\nSoutheast Asian champion Thailand 5-4 in the semifinals.<\/p>\n
Both Thailand and China will play on a standard-size soccer
\nfield, built at a cost of over 1,000 million baht (US$25
\nmillion). It lies on the eastern side of Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Construction of the stadium, designed to accommodate 60,000
\nspectators, had been delayed over a 10-year period.<\/p>\n
Apart from being the site of the opening and closing
\nceremonies, the stadium will be the main venue for the Games'
\nsoccer competition.<\/p>\n
SAT will also officially open the Aquatic Center at Thamunasat
\nUniversity on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The swimming compound, which has a seating capacity of 4,600,
\nhas a world-class diving pool, a 10-lane competition pool and a
\nseparate warm-up pool.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, a shooting range was also officially
\nopened for practices. The venue, the first of two planned
\nshooting ranges, is located at the Hua Mark sports complex, near
\nthe Royal Main Stadium.<\/p>\n
Sharpshooters will be vying for 34 gold medals at the two
\nvenues in 27 men's and 12 women's shooting events.<\/p>\n
To increase the visibility of the 13th Asian Games, the Thai
\ngovernment has ordered a two-week school break between Dec. 6 and
\nDec. 20 throughout the country.<\/p>\n
The school closure is expected to enable students to become
\npart of an estimated half a million spectators attending the
\nGames.<\/p>\n
The upcoming Asiad will comprise 38 sports with more than
\n10,000 athletes and officials from 34 countries taking part. A
\ntotal of 377 gold medals will be up for grabs at over 50 venues
\ninside and outside Bangkok.<\/p>\n
Bangkok will be hosting the quadrennial event for the fourth
\ntime, more than any other city in the history of the Games. The
\nThai capital hosted the event in 1966, 1970 and 1978. (emf)<\/p>",
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