LAO ELEPHANTS WIN TWO GAMES AT ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Victorious captain Santisouk Sengdara basks in the glory
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It's true do not adjust the channel. The Lao Elephants won 2 games at the Asian Championships played last Saturday September 6th in Singapore.

Going into the Asian Championships with a population of a mere 5.6 million people, pitted against nearly half of humanity, the tournament debutants, the poster-children for the word(s) 'underdogs', the men from the country that not one Singaporian taxi driver had ever heard of - the Lao Elephants WON TWO GAMES of very good footy! Having never ever won a game before this tournament this feat should not be (and has not been) underestimated.

The Elephants were placed in Group B alongside the eventual champions the United Arab Emirates Heat, last years champions Hong Kong, one of the pre-tournament favourites the Thailand Tigers, and traditional rivals the Vietnam Swans who as recently as a month ago had inflicted the most recent of the four defeats experienced by the Elephants in their 17 month history.

With a squad of 25, captained by Santisouk Sengdara, the Phants were the only side to turn up without matching shirts, without matching bags, and without matching uniforms, and from the beginning it was obvious that this was much more serious stuff than you get in Dong Dok.

A fair bit of rain in the week leading up to the Champs meant that it was soggy underfoot at the Singapore Polo Club as the Elephants faced the UAE Heat n the firs...

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Asian Champs Draw

..and there was much rejoicing....

The Elephants have been placed in a group with traditional rivals Vietnam and Thailand as well as the little known Hong Kong....and the geographically challenged UAE.

Stomp stomp stomp.

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LAO ELEPHANTS PLAYER PROFILES ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Asian Championships are only 12 days away, and the excitement around the PDR is palpable. National captain Souk can no longer walk the streets of Lane Xang without the presence of paparazzi, coach Hassett's new book 'Mick, Me, and I' is the biggest selling sporting book in the nations history, and Snakes' own brand of homemade anabolic steroids is helping to ensure that buffness is in reach for everyone regardless of age or socio-economic status.

The Elephants Player Profiles for the 2008 Asian Champs can be accessed on this site in the 'About Us' section.

Click here to read the player profiles

Up the Phants!

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PHOTOS - ELEPHANTS VS SWANS 26/7/08

Photos from the Elephants triumphant defeat at the hands of the Vietnam Swans can be accessed at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/vietnamswans/VietnamSwansVsLaoElephants/photo#s5232712082138009218

Note: Michael Hassett's guns have been digitally enhanced in these photos. Do not believe the hype.

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Elephants Versus Swans Match Report

The second ever game of international Australian Rules Football was played this past Saturday at the National University of Laos with the Vietnam Swans claiming their second victory of the Lao Elephants. On a glorious sunny day in the middle of a very damp wet season at the third spiritual home of Laotian football, the Elephants were unable to register their first victory as they put in an inconsistent showing against their more experienced neighbors.

The Swans turned up in Lao with only 12 players and in controversial circumstances managed to poach two Elephants – Pauly (who was best off ground later on that night) and Roger the Dodger in a deal as murky as Wayne Carey’s extra-curricular activities. Roger, displaying more courage than Darryl Hair did when he embarked on his recent book promotion tour of Pakistan, dislocated his finger on purpose pre-game in a valiant sabotage attempt but took to the field none-the-less.

By the time skipper Souk led the team onto the ground the crowd had swelled to somewhere in the vicinity of a number. Conditions were perfect when umpires Phil and Kate got proceedings underway. Swan Sammy Grigg kicked a goal within 8 seconds from pretty much the centre. Uh Oh. Not to bother said Wil as he came storming through at the next centre clearance avoiding some 12 would-be-tacklers before running in to kick his first ever goal. At least tha...

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Lao Elephants V Vietnam Swans - Saturday 26th July

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Lao Elephants V Vietnam Swans - Saturday 26th July 3.30PM Dong Dok Stadium, University of Laos. 

BE THERE (please)

• Party after the game at Borpanyang Bar
  
• Beer + Food
  
• DJ Set by Uluvus
  

To quote some dodgy rug sales guy off the TV...

"It's gonna be MEGA!"

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Media black-out adds to excitement

Emotion is running high this week in South East Asia's favourite land-locked nation in the build up to the much heralded match against the Vietnam Swans on July 27 at the National University of Laos (the so-called "spiritual third home of Lao football").

Ask any person in the streets of Vientiane for their thoughts on the Elephants upcoming game and you will hear a common refrain: "bor khao-jii ". This is Lao for "I think the Elephants are in for a shot. If they get out to an early lead, and can just keep the run going through the mid-field, it should be very close."

Organisers, in order to build expectations in the lead up to the game, imposed a worldwide media black-out on the basis that too many other sporting events had lost considerable intrigue, and therefore cache, through the public being aware of them beforehand. The black-out has appeared to work very well, with virtually no media outlets commenting on the match in any way whatsoever. However, rumours have spread on the internet that CNN in particular has let its excitement get the better of it and tried to circumvent the media black-out by running a series of stories with a subliminal theme (A story on the magnificence of elephants in Lagos, Nigeria. A subsequent story on how the Vietnamese economy is tanking, and then a brief story on Britney Spears entitled "From Beautiful Swan to Ugly Duckling?").

Despi...

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Longtime fan quoted in the media

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Long time Lao Elephants supporter Debra Jackson was recently quoted in her local newspaper commending the Phants newest gold sponsors the "Dollar Palace" retail chain.

As part of the sponsorship deal, Dollar Palace stores will soon start stocking exclusive Phants merchandise. Lao Elephants spokesman Marty was quoted as saying "We've been holding out for a merchandising partner that can deliver the type of quality goods you would expect from a club with as successful a history as ours".

Dollar Palace expects to start stocking merchandise including commemorative wooden spoons, genuine ivory key-chains and novelty plastic elephant turds in time for the Asian Champs.

Marty was also quoted as saying "We're also looking at producing a line of male underwear dubbed ‘The Happy Elephant’. The unique design has elephant ears on the hips as well as a hole in front of the underwear for the trunk to go." when asked if he hoped to flesh out the product line.

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LAO ELEPHANTS VERSUS VIETNAM SWANS JULY 26th in VIENTIANE

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Yes, the 2 heavyweights of Indochinese Football will battle for pre-Asian Cup supremacy in the second ever installment of the Phomvihane - Chi Minh Cup to be held on July 26th at the National University of Laos in Vientiane. The two traditional allies will line up against one another for only the second time since 1975 in what the lady who sells Khao Peak outside Talat Sao is referring to as 'the biggest weekend of sport' in the history of the PDR. Big Call. Some would argue that Lao's triumphant over 55s petanque victory at the 07 SEA games (on a Saturday) would take this honor, others would argue the case for the national swimming side's thrashing of the expat community last August, whatever the case it is going to be BIG.

Last time these two sides met (in the Elephants first ever match) the Elephants flew out of the blocks with the first 2 goals, only to be pegged back by the solid Swannies in the second half to go down by a couple of kicks. Swans vs Elephants? Two of nature's great rivals...one of sport's great rivalries?

Stay tuned to www.laoelephants.com for more info on the big game.

In the words of the Vietnamese (Swans) president Mr. Phil Johns: at the begining, middle, and end of the day its all about footy.

(For info on the Swannies check out: www.vietnamswans.com - photos of Miss Australia everywhere...the Elephants are currently lobbying the Lao Govt to bid...

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Song Competition

Maybe the we could get ManOwar to produce a number for us?
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While the whole world knows the Elephants famous rally of 'Stomp, stoimp, stomp', its time we really threw the never-forgets together to come up with a real, inspiring team song..

Grand prize of a beer lao to anyone who comes up with a winning tune pre-September for our inevitable post-tournament cup-runeth-overing sessions.

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