Coach and athlete treatment: Waiting for a "boost"

Athletes will be more motivated when the regime during the training period is improved compared to the present. *Photo: Thuy An*

Inadequate treatment

When issued in 2018, Decree No. 152/2018/ND-CP was considered by experts to be an important step forward in improving and stabilizing the lives of coaches and athletes. However, after 7 years of implementation, the income level based on this Decree is no longer suitable, increasingly falling behind the social spending level and the actual needs of coaches and athletes.

According to current regulations, the head coach of the national team receives a salary of 505,000 VND/day, the national team coach receives 375,000 VND/day; the provincial coach receives from 180,000 - 215,000 VND/day; the national youth team coach receives 270,000 VND/day... The coaches of the national teams of sectors, provinces, and centrally-run cities receive 215,000 VND/day; the coaches of the youth teams of sectors, provinces, and centrally-run cities receive 180,000 VND/day; the coaches of the gifted teams receive 180,000 VND/day...

The salary regime of athletes also does not meet spending needs in the context of escalating prices. Currently, national team athletes receive 270,000 VND/day; national youth team athletes receive 215,000 VND/day; athletes of industry, provincial and centrally-run city teams receive 180,000 VND/day...

Athletes in provincial, municipal and industry teams only receive a maximum income of about 5 million VND/month (excluding days off from training) - a figure that is too low compared to the average spending level in society. Meanwhile, athletes not only have to cover their personal expenses but also have the responsibility to support their families, and at the same time pay for their own medicine and nutrition to maintain their physical condition and training effectiveness. With such a limited income, it is not easy to devote all of their attention to training.

Many talented coaches and athletes have had to quit their jobs or switch to other jobs with more stable and higher incomes. Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, former Director of the Department of High Performance Sports 1, commented: “If we do not improve our remuneration policies, it will be very difficult to retain talent. If we want to achieve our goals at the Olympics or ASIAD, we need to create a stable income for coaches and athletes to focus on their expertise.”

From this reality, many experts recommend that the income level in the new Decree should be raised to at least double the current regulations.

Hanoi's bright spots and the problem of synchronous coordination

While waiting for the Government 's new policy, some localities have proactively "taken a step ahead" to help coaches and athletes feel secure in their efforts to achieve high results. Hanoi, from January 1, 2024, has implemented a special regime for coaches and athletes with high achievements. Accordingly, athletes called up to the national team will receive a responsibility allowance of 7 million VND/person/month; the national youth team is 5 million VND/month. Athletes who win medals at the Olympics, ASIAD, SEA Games or National Sports Festival can receive regular allowances from 7 to 74.5 million VND/month - depending on level and achievements. Athletes who win tickets to the Olympics or World Cup football tickets will receive support of 17 million VND/month during the Olympic or World Cup football cycle.

Boxer Ha Thi Linh (boxing, Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center), thanks to winning a ticket to the 2024 Olympics, received a support of 17 million VND/month until the 2028 Olympics, expressed: "The new policy helps me not to worry about income, I can wholeheartedly practice and aim for the goal of winning a ticket to the 2028 Olympics". Meanwhile, Head of the Petanque - Billiards & Snooker Department (Hanoi Sports Training and Competition Center) Dang Xuan Vui commented: "The City's support policy for coaches and athletes not only retains talented people but also motivates young coaches and athletes to strive".

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is assigning the Vietnam Sports Administration to preside over the drafting of a new Decree to submit to the Government in 2025, with the goal of issuing the Decree by the end of this year and implementing it from 2026. This is considered one of the key documents to help remove long-standing bottlenecks in the management of elite sports human resources. However, as many experts have noted, if we only rely on the central mechanism without the real participation of localities - where coaches and athletes are directly managed and trained, as well as sports federations and associations, the effectiveness will not be high. In a recent discussion, Head of the High Performance Sports Department (Vietnam Sports Administration) Hoang Quoc Vinh said: "Provinces and cities need to proactively build special regimes, encourage talent and create momentum for local sports in addition to the framework regime from the central level".

The development of a new Decree on the regime for coaches and athletes is a necessary and strategic step towards sustainable development for Vietnamese sports. In the context of the country's sports prioritizing investment in major arenas such as the Olympics and ASIAD, ensuring that coaches and athletes can "live" and "live well" with their own profession is a prerequisite for retaining and developing high-quality human resources. However, increasing income is only part of the overall development strategy. The sports industry still needs to continue to improve other supporting factors such as a systematic training mechanism, increasing competition in international tournaments, developing sports medicine, applying science and technology to training and especially investing systematically in the selection and training of the next generation of athletes... All of these factors will form a comprehensive ecosystem, helping Vietnamese high-performance sports gradually conquer new heights.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/che-do-dai-ngo-huan-luyen-vien-van-dong-vien-cho-mot-cu-hich-706461.html