2022 continued to mark the great success of Da Nang’s sports sector as the city’s sports delegation gained outstanding achievements at the 31^st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) and the 9^th National Sports Games.

Da Nang Party Committee Deputy Secretary Luong Nguyen Minh Triet rewarding coaches in recognition of their remarkable achievements at the SEA Games 31. Photo: P.N

Unexpected success

Seven coaches and twenty-eight athletes from Da Nang attended SEA Games 31. Local athletes earned 14 gold, 9 silver and 8 bronze medals. Two of them won 2 - 3 gold medals each, and 5 others broke SEA Games records.

Meanwhile, at the 9^th National Sports Games, the city's sports delegation had 79 coaches and 335 athletes. It was named among top 5 units and localities with 34 gold medals, 42 silver and 50 bronze.

Notably, athletes who maintained excellent achievements and won gold at the two aforementioned sports events are swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc, rowers Hien Nam and Pham Thi Hue, and race walkers Nguyen Thanh Ngung and Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc.

Race walker Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc remarked that her own achievements, and the city’s outstanding results as a whole, were mainly attributed to the determination and relentless efforts of athletes and their coaches, plus the special care and direction of leaders of the city’s sports sector.

“In 2023, I myself and other high-performing athletes will make every effort to promote the development of the local sports. In particular, the upcoming 32^nd SEA Games to be held in Cambodia will be an opportunity for us to assert ourselves and protect noble medals" Phuc confided.

Focus on selecting and training athletes

Boat racing is one of the city's strong sports that has been focused on and brought many noble medals for the local sports sector. Photo: P.N

According to Director of the Da Nang Athlete Training Centre Nguyen Dong Hai , in recent years, the city has secured its position in top sports delegations at annual National Sports Games, and won many medals at the Southeast Asian Games.

To achieve those remarkable achievements, the centre rechecked its athletes and classified key sports.

Specifically, nearly 300 high-performing athletes are potential for the development of 30 sports subdivisions that are planned and focused on training investment.

The plan on training high-quality athletes is strictly implemented according to the city's high-performance sports development strategy for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045.

Additionally, high-performing athletes and coaches receive special attention from the city’s leaders and enjoy great remuneration mechanism. Included are regular salary and nutrition regime, remuneration regime for achievements at domestic and international competitions, and medical, healthcare and food regime for coaches and athletes.

Da Nang ranked fifth in the medal tally of National Sports Games 2022.

Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Trong Thao underlined that besides investment resources, mechanisms, policies and coach qualifications, the selection and training of athletes is one of the unit’s important tasks.

It is impossible not to mention the development of mass sports movements, greatly helping the centre to discover and select excellent factors for city-level teams.

Elevating sports to new heights

In her speech delivered at a ceremony in the city to honour outstanding coaches and athletes at the SEA Games 31, municipal People's Committee Vice Chairwoman Ngo Thi Kim Yen affirmed that the city's leaders will continue to create the best conditions for coaches and athletes to achieve higher results in time to come.

In the immediate future, priority will be given to conducting research and proposing specific support mechanisms and policies so as to detect and train many sports talents for the city, she said.

Vice Chairwoman Yen added importance will be attached to building facilities and purchasing equipment in order to meet requirements for practice and competition activities and satisfy international standards to host large-scale sports events.

Heed will be on improving the quality of training young athletes, well implementing training and competition regimes and policies for athletes and coaches with great contributions for the city’s sports sector, as well as well preparing the force for the forthcoming SEA Games 32.

Reporting by PHI NONG - Translating by M.DUNG