SEA Games 2009 to be smoke-free area

The National Sports Committee organised a meeting to discuss and develop strategy to encourage people to keep the next Southeast Asian Games as a smoke-free sporting competition on 26 February in Vientiane.
Laos will impose a very strict measure to make the biggest competition of Southeast Asian nations as a smoke-free competition to prevent smokers from annoying the audience who will come to cheer their favourite sports events in 2009.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Head of the National Sports Committee, Mr. Sinakhone Pathoummalath, and attended by the Representative of Hygiene and Prevention Department, the Ministry of Health, Dr Sithat Insysiengmay, and relevant officials.
At the meeting, many people raised Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand that have successfully hosted the South East Asia Games while encouraging their people not to advertise cigarettes during the competition, especially in the competition areas as smoking is considered as harmful to the health of the audience.

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