(KPL) The National University of Laos will send 12 athletes for the Rugby 7s team to compete in the 18^th ASEAN University Games (AUG) in Singapore from 8-19 July.

In the competition, the Lao team will face Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei and the host country of Singapore on 16 July 2016 at the Nanyang Technological University’s Sports and Recreation Centre in Singapore.

Head Coach Damlongsack Chanthasouk made the statement at a press conference held in Vientiane Capital on July 6.

The event took place in the presence President of the Lao Rugby Federation Virayouth Rathikoun and rugby players.

The 18^th ASEAN University Games (AUG) will include universities that are part of the ASEAN community including Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Brunei.

This will be the second time that the National University of Laos will field a Rugby 7s team, with the first time being in 2008 at the 14th ASEAN University Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Since the announcement two months ago that the National University of Laos would field a rugby team for the games, the players have been training 5 times a week under the direction of Head Coach Damlongsack Chanthasouk.  Mr Damlongsack has represented Laos on the international level and has also been coaching a newly formed development club for young players to introduce them to contract rugby.

“The players have been very focused on training and have the shared goal of winning each of their matches. They don’t easily give up and have been working hard for this event,” commented Coach Chanthasouk on how he thinks the Lao team will perform.

“We hope that we can reach the final by winning the 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th matches.”

KPL