Vietnam has high hopes for young athletes
Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam’s sport sector has had an outstanding 2018 and the country is starting to pay more attention to developing talented athletes.
The fairytale second-place finish of Vietnam’s
football team in January at the Asian Football Confederation U-23 Championship enraptured
many people, not just football fans. After the poor performance of the
country’s football teams in recent years, some fans had lost faith in the team,
but the success of the youngsters has greatly increased public attention on the
training of athletes.
In August, the Vietnamese sport sector recorded various achievements at the 18th Asian Games (ASIAD) in Indonesia. With four gold medals, two in Olympics sports (athletics and rowing), 2018 was Vietnam’s most successful year at the continental event.
Increasing attention for development of young athletes
In an interview with the Vietnam News Agency,
Vice head of the Vietnam Sports Administration (VSA) Tran Duc Phan said in
October, 13 Vietnamese athletes competed in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games (YOG)
in Argentina.
As athletes rarely compete in this event twice,
it is their dream to enter the international multi-sport event for youths while
they are eligible, the VSA official said.
More importantly, when a Vietnamese athlete qualifies
for a major event, such as the YOG, it will motivate other athletes to succeed,
he noted.
Weightlifter Ngo Son Dinh and swimmer Nguyen
Huy Hoang brought home a gold medal each at this year’s event.
Dinh lifted
114kg in snatch and 148kg in clean and jerk to triumph with a total lift of
262kg at the men’s 56kg event on the first day of competition at the Games.
The Tien Giang-born lifter won one gold and two bronze medals in the men’s 56kg at the Asian Youth Weightlifting Championship in 2017. He also won three gold medals at this year’s tournament and two bronzes at the World Youth Weightlifting Championship.
Meanwhile, the 18-year-old swimmer triumphed in
the men’s 800m freestyle in 7:50:20 and broke the national record of 7:54:32
which earned him a bronze medal at the 2018 ASIAD in Indonesia. Hoang’s medal was
the first gold medal in swimming for Vietnam at the event.
According to Phan, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan
Phuc recently approved a decision to raise the food stipend for each young
athlete to 290,000 VND (about 12.5 USD) per day, equivalent to that of a
professional athlete.
In addition, he stressed salary and incentives
for athletes and coaches will be improved. The moves reflect the Government’s
efforts to create optimal conditions for aspiring talents.
With the VSA’s motto “All the best for athletes
and coaches”, Phan said training, competition performance and medical treatment
for young athletes have improved over the years.
An official health committee was established in
2014, which proved to be effective aid for athletes in regional and
international competitions.
In addition to medical treatment from experts
in various sports, the health committee also serves as mental support for
athletes, so they can focus on improving their performance, Phan said.
During the 2018 ASIAD in Indonesia, sport
doctors for the first time accompanied Vietnamese athletes to the event and
joined their training sessions.
For upcoming major sporting events, namely the
Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2019 and 2021, Olympics in 2020 and ASIAD in
2022, the VSA is working to choose key sports for development, and events of
that each sport which will be feasible for Vietnamese athletes to earn high
achievements.
Prospects for Vietnam’s athletics
Track and field is one of the oldest athletic
events. In ancient times, the events were held in conjunction with festivals.
In Vietnam, it is referred to as the queen sport, thus athletics is an area
where the country wants to improve.
Duong Duc Thuy, head of the athletics section of
the VSA said Vietnam’s athletics witnessed rapid changes in 2007-2008, during
which the sector worked to apply international standards in evaluation, paving
the way for the country’s athletes to qualify for global competition and not
fall behind compared to their rivals across the world.
Now, with recent outstanding achievements,
especially Bui Thi Thu Thao’s gold medal in long jump in 2018 ASIAD, the change
has proved effective, he affirmed.
Vietnam’s track and field sector is striving to
become a force that changes the face of athletics in Southeast Asia, in the
context that athletics comprises a fixed number of events, and the rivalry
between participating nations has grown fiercer. Entering the region’s top two
is one of the most important tasks for the country’s young athletes in the next
10 years.
Vietnam’s athletes are preparing for the 30th
SEA Games in the Philippines next year. They are also striving to qualify for
the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
Hope in rising track-and-field talents
At the 2017 Asian Youth Athletics
Championships in Thailand, Vietnam
pocketed one gold and five silver medals. Gold medallist Cao Vo Ngoc Long broke
the national record in high jump with a jump of 2m10.
In the women’s 400m hurdles, 17 year-old girl Le
Thi Hong Han broke the Asian youth record of 61:27 with a result of 60:66,
taking a silver medal.
Recently, two Vietnamese athletes Le Tien Long
and Doan Thu Hang qualified for the 2018 YOG in Buenos Aires. Their success lit
hope in the future of Vietnam’s athletics, following outstanding athletes in
the past like Truong Thanh Hang, Vu Thi Huong and high jumpers Bui Thi Nhung
and Nguyen Duy Bang, among others.
“Those excellent results show that the young
athletes are coming close to their predecessors’ achievements and possibly able
to go beyond. The country can think of having more Vietnamese runners in
Olympics events in the coming time,” Thuy said.
Training of young athletes and their responsibilities
The training of athletes is the most important
task for them to improve their personal results and seize spots at
international events. Previously, Vietnamese athletes were mainly sent to train
in Poland and Hungary, and then following the country’s Doi Moi (reform)
process, they have trained in China, Western European countries and the United
States.
Vietnam has given priority for its athletes to
join training courses in countries with suitable facilities, equipment,
favourable weather and cuisine. Therefore, neighbouring countries, particularly
China, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore, are the best choices for Vietnam’s
athletes, the official said.
Additionally, Japan has provided financial aid
and equipment for sport officials and experts in developing countries. As a
long-time partner of Vietnam, experts from Japan have provided professional
training and helped Vietnamese athletes attend competitions in Japan.
The athletics section has
worked to seek funding and sponsorship for the development of young athletes
and enhanced cooperation with the International Olympic Committee, international
financial establishments and overseas Vietnamese.
Thuy added that it is also important for
Vietnamese athletes and the sport sector to be aware of their responsibilities
in return for the support.
Once they are determined to become professionals,
young athletes should get accustomed to the procedures of respective events and
living conditions in different countries as they need to participate in various
training courses and competitions abroad.
They are also encouraged to compete in other
domestic and international athletics events, which attract many foreign
athletes. The athletics section is keen on boosting a system of competitions in the country,
with existing events like marathons in Ha Giang, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc
provinces and Da Nang city, and more, he said, stressing the significance of
public sport campaign in raising budding talents.
During international events, in addition to polishing their skills, Vietnamese athletes can learn from their foreign counterparts in various aspects, from their etiquette to thorough preparations ahead of important events, particularly weather factors which may affect their performance, nutrition and equipment.
To become full-fledged professional athletes,
young talents have to practice regularly to maintain stamina, set proper
targets to improve and work to stay on top form and deliver the best results.
They are also asked to support the growth of
the country’s future athletes once they become more mature and successful, Thuy
noted. -VNA
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