Anti-doping work must be given top priority when preparing athletes for the 19th Asian Games.

Minister Nguyen Van Hung chaired a meeting on preparations for the 19th Asian Games.

Preparations were carried out immediately after the 32nd SEA Games.

According to the report of Director Dang Ha Viet and representatives of professional units, the 19th Asian Games (commonly known as ASIAD) was held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23 to October 9. The Games were held in six provinces and cities of China: Hangzhou, Huzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbei, Ningbo, Jinhua, Wenzhou. The total number of sports competing at the 19th Asian Games was 40 sports divided into 61 sub-events with a total of 483 events/sets of medals.

The Vietnamese sports delegation will compete in 31 sports with 202 events: Karatedo, Sepak Takraw, Boxing, Shooting, Chinese Chess, Rowing, Wushu, Kurash, Athletics, Archery, Canoeing, Swimming, Taekwondo, Chess, Cycling, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Table Tennis, Roller, Wrestling, Judo, Jujitsu, Fencing, Volleyball, Badminton, Golf, Football, Tennis, Soft Tennis, E-sports, Dance - Sport Breaking.

Overview of the meeting

Sports not included: Artistic Swimming, Water Polo, Baseball, Softball, Basketball, Card Games, Canoeing, Cricket, Equestrian, Hockey, Kabaddi, Triathlon, Rugby 7, Sailing, Mountaineering, Squash, Modern Pentathlon, Track Racing, BMX, Artistic Gymnastics, Acrobatic Gymnastics, Diving and Handball.

“Preparations for the Games have been underway since 2022 and immediately after the 32nd SEA Games, the leaders of the Ministry, the Department of Sports and Physical Training and relevant units have carefully reviewed and evaluated to help athletes achieve the best results. In preparation for the Games, the specialized units under the Department of Sports and Physical Training have divided the key sports into groups to have appropriate investment for each group of sports. The teams have also planned to train domestically and abroad, compete domestically and internationally in a systematic and thorough manner and everything is currently going according to plan,” Director Dang Ha Viet reported.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong said that right after the 32nd SEA Games, the Department of Sports and Physical Training held a meeting to prepare for the 19th Asian Games. At that meeting, the professional units also carefully analyzed the capabilities of Vietnamese sports as well as carefully assessed the opponents in each sport, predicting the possibility of winning medals based on the performance parameters of the athletes during training and competition. For the group of sports with the potential to win gold medals, Deputy Minister Hoang Dao Cuong requested the Department of Sports and Physical Training to focus all its efforts to have the best preparation. In addition, it is also necessary to prepare well for the 18 sports with the potential to win silver and bronze medals. Currently, key teams are training and competing according to plan at domestic sports training centers or abroad such as Sepak Takraw training in Thailand, Shooting training in Korea and competing in the World Championship in Azerbaijan before leaving to compete at the 19th Asian Games.

However, with a Congress gathering the strongest athletes of the continent, including many Olympic and world champions, this is certainly a Congress that is predicted to be full of difficulties for the Vietnamese Sports Delegation.

At the previous Games, we won 4 gold medals, including 2 gold medals in Pencak Silat and 1 gold medal in the lightweight rowing event. However, at this Games, Pencak Silat was not included in the competition program while the event that helped Vietnamese female rowers win gold medals at the previous Games was also not included in this year's competition program, so the Vietnamese Sports Delegation will face many difficulties in defending the gold medals won at the previous Games.

Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Training Dang Ha Viet reported at the meeting.

At this Congress, we continue to place our hopes on the sports that have won medals at previous Congresses such as Sepak Takraw and Karate. Shooting also aims to change the color of the medals at this year's Congress. In addition, we can also place our hopes on some sports that have achievements approaching the achievements of the Asian Games gold medals.

The goal of striving to be counted and considered for qualifying points for the 2024 Olympics is also set at this Congress for groups of sports such as Cycling, Boxing, Athletics, Judo, Swimming, Badminton, etc.

Preparation must be proactive, early, and from afar.

Directing at the working session, Minister Nguyen Van Hung emphasized that reports and opinions must focus on resolving difficulties and problems; promoting good work and resolving unfinished work to best prepare the Vietnamese Sports Delegation for the 19th Asian Games.

Deputy Director of the Department of Sports and Physical Training Le Thi Hoang Yen reports on communication work for the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the Congress.

Assessing that this is the largest sports event in the continent, gathering the best athletes not only in Asia but also in the world, the Minister directed that the preparation work for the delegation must be proactive, carried out early, and from afar. Indicating that he basically agreed with the plan to prepare for the 19th Asian Games of the Department of Sports and Physical Training, the Minister directed the Department of Sports and Physical Training to continue reviewing the preparation work, from selecting the team, selecting the athletes, whether all the elite forces have been gathered, and if necessary, there will be additions, avoiding missing out on talent.

The Minister also requested the Department of Sports and Physical Training to review the list of athletes according to the principle of giving priority to athletes who are capable of participating in this Games and will continue to progress in the next Games, considering this a good opportunity for them to hone their skills and accumulate experience in preparation for future major Games.

Secretary General of the Vietnam Olympic Committee Tran Van Manh reported at the meeting.

The Minister directed that the Department of Physical Training and Sports continue to review to have a team of officers and doctors that ensures the correct ratio as prescribed by the organizing committee but can take care of logistics and provide the best care for the athletes. The accompanying coaching team must also be qualified, experienced, and able to work quickly according to the motto of being good at one thing and knowing many things so that they can be proactive in training, managing and taking care of the athletes to have the best physical, mental, spiritual and performance when competing; the professional departments must also choose the right peak of the athletes' performance in this largest sports event.

Head of High Performance Sports Department 2 Ngo Ich Quan reports on the training and competition of the teams.

“Doping prevention and control must be considered the number one task of the Vietnamese sports delegation. Vietnamese athletes may not have medals but are not allowed to have doping problems,” Minister Nguyen Van Hung emphasized and directed the Department of Sports and Physical Training, training centers, and teams to strengthen dissemination, propaganda, andeducation to raise athletes’ awareness of doping prevention as well as closely monitor the athletes’ use of drugs, foods, etc. that may be related to doping during training and competition.

The Minister also directed that it is necessary to strengthen information and propaganda work on the preparation and competition process of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the Games so that fans can accompany, cheer and encourage the athletes to compete to achieve the best results, bringing glory to the Fatherland.

THU SAM; photo: TRAN HUAN

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