Da Nang, the host of the 13^th ASEAN School Games, is hastening its preparations for the event which is slated from May 31 - June 9.

The Hoa Xuan athletics stadium has just been put into operation to ensure the best possible conditions for athletics competition at the 13th ASEAN School Games in 2024. Photo: P.N

The ASEAN School Games was held for the first time in Viet Nam in 2013, but this is the first time the central coastal city has hosted the games.

Sports delegations from ten countries, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar and Viet Nam, are expected to attend the games.

Participating athletes will compete in six sports, namely athletics, swimming, basketball, badminton, Pencak Silat, and Vovinam. These are popular sports among students in schools in Viet Nam and Southeast Asian countries. At the end of the sports event, organisers will award 107 sets of medals to outstanding athletes in each sport, and give prize to the entire teams.

According to the plan, the competitions will take place at 6 locations including the Tien Son Sports Arena, the Son Tra District-based Cultural and Sports Centre, the Da Nang University’s Sports Centre, the Hoa Xuan athletics stadium, the martial arts gym, and the city’s swimming and diving pool.

Aside from the badminton competition, the opening and closing ceremonies of the games will take place at the Tien Son Sports Arena. This is a suitable location, ensuring spectacular ceremonies, and creating an impressive highlight for the event.

The Tien Son Sports Arena has a total area of more than 94,000m², of which the gymnasium has an area of 10,482m². Many national, regional and international sporting events have taken place at the sports arena.

In preparation for the upcoming games, the city has replaced the old lighting rig with new one. Specifically, the lighting system at the Tien Son Sports Arena which included the HQI - TS 1000W/D/S/PRO Osram light bulbs with a recommended lifespan of 8,000 hours has been put into use since 2010.

Over time, this lighting system is now degraded, and the illuminance is greatly reduced, and in some places the lights are broken. Therefore, to best serve the upcoming games, the city has replaced Osram 1000W lights with 820W LED ones.

Aside from the Tien Son Sports Arena, other venues are also ready for the games.

In particular, swimming competition will take place at the city's swimming and diving pool. This place has just been renovated spaciously and modernly with a total investment of nearly VND20 billion from the city budget.

Renovated items include truss and roof structure, a two-story office block, a basement, viewing stands, swimming pool, fence, gate, garden system and a drainage system. After the repair, this place meets requirements of ensuring a safe and stable place for training and accommodation for the city's swimming and diving athletes.

Most recently, at this swimming and diving pool, the city successfully hosted the National Youth Swimming and Diving Championship with the participation of more than 400 swimmers from 18 units, provinces, cities and industries across the country.

Similarly, the Son Tra District Cultural and Sports Centre, martial arts gymnasium and Hoa Xuan athletics stadium, where pencak - silat, vovinam and athletics will take place respectively, have ensured good facilities.

At the Son Tra District Cultural and Sports Center, there is a multi-purpose gymnasium where municipal and district-level sports activities are regularly organised.

The martial arts gym and the Hoa Xuan athletics stadium have just been newly built and put into use in 2023.

According to Deputy Director of the Da Nang Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Trong Thao, initially basketball was expected to be held at the National Defense Sports Center 3. However, through surveys, the location for this sport's competition was moved to the Da Nang University’s Sports Centre which ensures good facilities and regularly hosts major tournaments.

“Da Nang has experience in organising large-scale international sports tournaments, so the preparatory works go smoothly” he said.

Deputy Director Thao highlighted the significance of the successful organisation of the 13^th ASEAN School Games in promoting the image of the country, people, historical traditions, cultural identity and achievements in all aspects of Viet Nam and Da Nang.

At the same time, the games will contribute to introducing Southeast Asian students to the movement of physical education and school sports in Viet Nam, as well as creating conditions for Vietnamese students to integrate into regional student sports levels, he added.

Reporting by PHI NONG - Translating by M.DUNG