Women's team targets Olympics

Focused: Members of the national women's football team train at Tam Dao Sports Centre in the northern province of Vinh Phuc. — VNS Photo Quang Thang

HA NOI — The women's football team would put aside its disappointment at not being able to defend its title at the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia and focus on the FIFA Women's Olympic Football Tournament 2012 qualifying campaign next month, Chinese coach Chen Yun Fat said.

The Indonesian organising committee has announced that female football will not be played at the Southeast Asian Games this year.

Viet Nam Olympic Committee general secretary Hoang Vinh Giang said it would be difficult to change the committee's decision.

Chen said: "At present, the team are training their physical strength at Tam Dao Sports Centre in the northern province of Vinh Phuc where the weather is very severe. It rains all day and is very cold.

"We always define that we must try our best against any rival at any tournament."

Chen also revealed that six young talented footballers had been added to the team and that the FIFA qualifiers tournament would hone their skills and experience.

The Asian Zone qualifiers start in March having three phases until September to determine the two teams that will represent Asia.

Viet Nam is in group A of the draw, which comprises Thailand, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Myanmar.

Group A and seven other teams from groups B and C – India, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Iran, Palestine and Jordan – will take part in the inaugural phase of qualification that kicks off on March 8 and winds up on March 27. — VNS

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Defending Vietnam team excluded from 2011 SEA Games

Vietnamese women celebrate after winning the women's football event at the 2009 SEA Games in Laos

Indonesia, host of the 2011 Southeast Asian Games, just announced 48 sports and around 550 events to be organized at the biennial tournament, which may stir up comments from member nations as the host dropped some favorite sports.

Members of the ten-nation SEA Games Federation Council including Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam fear the drop of several regular sports like Billiards & Snooker and women's football could affect the future standard of the games.

Vietnam are now the champions in women’s football.

Other sports severely affected include cycling, rhythmic gymnastics, petanque, sailing, shooting and table tennis as Indonesia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Inasoc) proposed to shorten many events.

Traditionally, the standard program of cycling in the past SEA Games comprised around 12 to 15 events, but Indonesia wants to stage only seven, comprising three for men and four for women.

Shooting is cut down from 36 as in the last edition in 2009 in Laos to just nine, while rhythmic gymnastics has only one event compared with five to six previously.

Though the host has the privilege to choose sports, Indonesia must also consider the sentiments of other participating countries, Olympic Council of Malaysia honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi was quoted as saying today.

We'll try to negotiate with the host during the coming SEA Games Federation Council meeting in Bali on Feb 23-24, he added.

Besides dropping some favorite sports, the host has added new sports namely bridge, paragliding, roller sports, shorinji kempo and wall climbing.

It is said that the cut of the sports is rooted from Inasoc wanting to become overall champions at the games. Traditionally, Indonesian athletes were not strong at them.

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Vietnam in easy group at Olympics football qualifiers

The Vietnamese national senior women’s football team have been drawn in an easily-breathing group at the 2012 Olympics Games pre-qualifiers when they join group A together with Thailand, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Vietnam will encounter Hong Kong on March 18 before taking on Myanmar March 20, Thailand March 25 and Taiwan March 27. Two top teams will advance to later round.

On the FIFA ranking table, Vietnam women’s football is ranked 34th, right after Thailand at 33rd. Taiwan stand at 36th and Hong Kong 67th.

The qualification system for the London Olympics varies by continent and world governing body FIFA has yet to publish full qualifying documentation, but the broad outline is in place.

In Asia, only one best team will survive the two rounds of the pre-qualifiers and seal a ticket to join with five best giants – Japan, China, South Korea, Australia, and North China – in the qualifiers.

Asia, and Africa, each have two berths at the Games to fill, North and Central America will send two teams from a qualifying event planned for Canada in 2012, and Oceania supplies a final team alongside hosts Britain.

Vietnam’s coach Chow Yun Fat will convene his training camp on Sunday.

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Women’s football coach selects young team for Asiad

Photo: Reuters

Chinese coach Chow Yun Fat of Vietnam announced Wednesday his national women’s football team for the 2010 Asian Games in November in China, mainly selecting young players to keep with his long-term plans.

Among the 24 players named, only six of them are veterans who crowned the championship title at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Laos. All others are under 20 years old.

“We are willing to suffer a loss at the Asiad next month to learn and train for later tournaments as SEA Games 2011”, said the vice chief of the Vietnam Football Federation’s national teams department Nguyen Trong Giap.

“We look forward to achievements in coming years with this young team,” he added.

“Our veterans (as Kim Chi, Dao Thi Mien, Ngoc Cham and Mai Lan) have made great contributions and need time to take care of their own families”.

The players will start their training camp on Friday in Hanoi and depart for another training session in China early next month till the start of the games on November 12-27 in Guangzhou Province.

The team

Goalkeepers: Kieu Trinh, Thu Trang, Duong Thi Danh

Defenders: Ngoc Anh, Thuy An, Nguyen Thi Nga, Duong Thi Binh, Thuy Linh, Nguyen Thi Mai, Hai Hoa, Bui Thi Nhu

Midfielders: Le Thi Thuong, Nguyen Thi Hanh, Kim Tien, Mai Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Muon, Huyen Linh, Kim Hong

Strikers: Minh Nguyet, Nguyen Thi Thanh, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Bui Thi Phuong, Hoang Thi Luyen, Thanh Huong

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