VietNam Culture

Monday, November 1, 2010

Viet Nam win two world silvers

HA NOI — Viet Nam walked away with two silver medals from the 20th World Senior Karate Championship which closed in Belgrade , Serbia, yesterday.

Despite high expectations, national No 1 kata (performance) artist Nguyen Hoang Ngan lost 0-5 to Yohana Sanchez of Venezuela in the women's kata final.

After her 3-2 win over five-time world champion Rika Usami of Japan in Thursday's semi-finals, Ngan was widely expected to take the title since Usami was said to be the strongest contender in the event.

However, all predictions proved to be wrong when Sanchez, whose personal best was third place at the world championship in 2004, defeated Ngan for her first ever world title.

Ngan knew that silver was not her personal best, as she had previously grabbed many gold medals in high-ranked tournaments.

Usami and Croatian Mirna Senjug shared third place.

Earlier Ngan and her teammates Nguyen Thanh Hang and Do Thi Thu Ha were ousted 0-5 by Japanese trio Inoue Kazuyo, Kimura Yoko and Sakai Fumi in the team event

The teams from Italy and Spain took the bronze medals.

Viet Nam's only male competitor at the championship was Nguyen Ngoc Thanh who was knocked out in the second round in the under-67kg category.

The next event for the Vietnamese athletes will be the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, next month.

Ngan and her teammates are shouldering a heavy burden to bring home a gold medal for Viet Nam. As a whole, the country expects to pocket at least six golds in the continent's biggest sport festival. — VNS

Saturday, October 30, 2010

High hopes for top Vietnamese athletes

Air time: Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Hien kicks the ball in the women's sepak takraw team final at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. Viet Nam will compete at the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China next month. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong

HA NOI — Vietnamese athletes are ready to compete in next month's Asian Games to be held in Guangzhou, China deputy head of the National Sports Administration Le Quy Phuong said.

Athletes will be given random doping tests before the Asian Games begin on November 12-27.

Samples will be taken at the national training centres in Ha Noi, HCM City and Da Nang and sent for testing at a laboratory in Beijing as Viet Nam has not yet built a doping test centre.

Phuong, who will lead the team at the Asian Games, said athletes had taken medical advice during training to ensure that they had avoided banned substances.

"We have proposed a VND76 billion (US$3.8 million) doping test centre project, but it has yet to be completed. However, we must control drug use among athletes who will face testing at the games. At the Beijing Olympics two years ago, gymnast Do Thi Ngan Thuong tested positive for banned substances," Phuong said.

"Coaches and doctors monitored the use of drugs and medicines the athletes took during their training, to ensure they didn't use banned substances."

Thuong was banned from competition for a year after she tested positive for diuretic furosemide at the Beijing Olympics.

As the Asian Games is the crucial sporting event this year, the sports administration has increased daily food supplements for athletes from VND120,000 to VND200,000 over a three-month period.

Earlier, the administration also gave special nutritional supplements to the 60 athletes most likely to win medals at the games.

Viet Nam announced its 260-member squad to compete in 29 of the 42 events at the 16th Asian Games two weeks ago.

The country hopes to bring home four to six gold medals to finish 15th out of the 45 participating countries and territories.

"We are targeting 12 sports in which we hope to win between four and six golds. Sepak takraw, karate, shooting, taekwondo, wushu, chess, Chinese chess, and dance sport are events in which Viet Nam hopes to win gold. Four years ago, Viet Nam won three golds at the Doha Asian Games, of which two golds were won by the sepak takraw (rattan kicking) team," Phuong explained.

A farewell ceremony will be held in Ha Noi next Sunday.

The women's and men's football teams will leave on November 1 and 5, respectively.

All athletes will officially depart for the games on November 10-11.

The sports administration is also giving immediate cash awards of VND30 million (US$1,500) to gold medal winners, in addition to the VND45 million ($2,200) award from the Government.

In Qatar four years ago, Viet Nam won three gold, 13 silver and seven bronze medals to finish 19th in the 45-country strong competition.

Viet Nam began participating in Asia's biggest sport event at New Delhi in 1982 and won a single bronze medal in shooting.

In 1994 at the Hiroshima Asian Games in Japan, Taekwondo artist Tran Quang Ha won the country's first gold medal, while Pham Hong Ha and Tran Van Thong brought home two silver medals.

At the Busan Asian Games in South Korea in 2002, the country had their best showing, winning four gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals to finish 15th. — VNS

Vietnam’s U19s and U21s clash in semifinals

Vietnam’s U19s and U21s clash in semifinals Vietnam’s Under-19 squad will battle their senior compatriots at Ho Chi Minh City’s Thong Nhat Stadium during the 2010 International U21 Football semifinals Friday.

The game between the Vietnamese “brothers” is expected to be an exciting one because they are both leading title contenders at the fourth edition of the Thanh Nien-sponsored event this year.

The Vietnamese U19s finished behind Malaysia in Group B after a 2-1 win over Singapore’s U21 s and a 0-1 defeat by Malaysia’s U21 s.

A 5-1 win over Myanmar’s U21 team and a 3-1 victory over Thailand’s U21 squad placed the Vietnamese U21s at the top of Group A.

The Vietnamese U21 squad has proved a strong team across the board. Defenders Trong Phu and Gia Tu have done an excellent job in the back field, while mid-fielders Nhat Nam and Huu Phat have impressed audiences a great deal. Strikers Tuan Anh and Trong Phi have become virtual heroes at home.

The Vietnamese U21 substitutes are nearly as popular as the favorites on the starting squad. They played exceptionally in their victory over Thailand, giving the coaching staff plenty of options.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese U19s make up a better-organized squad because they have been training together for more than two months.

The U21 players got together just four days before the opening match, following their performance at the 14th National U21 Football tournament finished on Sunday October 17.

In terms of hands-on experience, the Vietnamese U19s can’t be expected to perform as well as their older “brothers” because several of the U21s have played in Vietnam’s top-tier V-League and second-tier First Division.

Despite the differences in experience, the U19 squad should not be looked upon as inferior. They boast some excellent players like Quoc Phuong, Van Quyet, Minh Tuan, Hai Huy and Hoa Hung.

That is why it won’t be a surprise if the younger Vietnamese team can beat the older team to advance to the final match.

The semifinal clash between Thailand and Malaysia’s U21 teams is also expected to prove a real fight.

The Malaysian U21 s are considered the underdogs but their spirits are high after their defeat of the Vietnamese U19s that put them at the top of Group B.

The Thai U21 squad aims to advance to the final game, so the match promises to be an exciting one.

The Malaysian squad has some prominent players like striker Thamil Arasu, midfielder Nordin Mohd Azizan and central fullback Tajudin Syazwan.

Thailand has bright players like striker Pattana Sokjoho, midfielders Anuwat Nakkasem and Ponlachai Hongthong.

Friday, October 29, 2010