Vietnamese basketball faces difficulties at SEA Games 33

bóng rổ - Ảnh 1. — Sisters Thao My - Thao Vy (middle) help the Vietnamese women's 3x3 basketball team win a historic gold medal at the 2023 SEA Games - Photo: NGUYEN KHOI

But this goal was difficult due to strict regulations on player naturalization, set by host Thailand for this SEA Games.

Accordingly, naturalized athletes will not be allowed to participate in the 5x5 basketball event at the 2025 SEA Games. In this case, the two overseas Vietnamese basketball stars of Vietnam, twin sisters Truong Thao My and Truong Thao Vy, will not be able to participate in the 5x5 event.

According to the standards of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), both Thao My and Thao Vy are considered naturalized athletes. In basketball, all athletes who obtain citizenship after the age of 16 are considered naturalized.

Unlike soccer, FIBA has long established a rule that each team can only register one naturalized player, known as the Hagop Rule. Thanks to this rule, basketball has rarely had any controversy over naturalization.

But the SEA Games is not governed by FIBA. Following the precedent of previous SEA Games, the number of naturalized athletes is often unlimited. Thanks to that, in recent years, Indonesian and Cambodian basketball has emerged, competing with the Philippines, which is famous for its top level in the continent.

But at the 2025 SEA Games, host Thailand unexpectedly issued a rule prohibiting teams from using naturalized players - according to FIBA standards - to participate in the 5x5 event. And so, Thao My - Thao Vy could not participate in the traditional basketball playground, during the SEA Games in Thailand.

This is extremely regrettable because Thao My - Thao Vy are the soul, the two stars who first scored the historic gold medal for Vietnamese basketball at the 2023 SEA Games, specifically in the 3x3 category. At the 2025 SEA Games, they are expected to help Vietnam continue to create miracles in both the 3x3 and 5x5 categories.

In basketball, the 5x5 event is truly the traditional playground, the arena of professional sports. In this event, the Philippines dominates the men's playground, winning 19/22 gold medals in the history of the SEA Games. As for the women's playground, Malaysia used to dominate in the past, before losing to the Philippines and Indonesia in the most recent SEA Games.

Meanwhile, the 3x3 event has only appeared in the last 3 SEA Games. This is considered a content created to encourage the development of basketball in many countries, including Vietnam.

Although not allowed to participate in the 5x5 event, Thao My - Thao Vy still have the right to participate in the 3x3 event, as host Thailand does not require naturalization in this event. However, the loss of Thao My - Thao Vy makes Vietnam almost lose hope of competing for a medal in the women's 5x5 event.

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HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-ro-viet-nam-gap-kho-tai-sea-games-33-2025120111285435.htm