Opening of the 16th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports: A Strong Breakthrough

On the morning of October 13 in Hanoi, the 16th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Sports (SOMS-16) solemnly opened. The event was attended by about 200 delegates including ministers, deputy ministers, heads of sports agencies of ASEAN countries and Timor Leste, and senior officials in the regional sports sector.

ASEAN sports face big challenges

In his opening speech, Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet - Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration emphasized the theme of this year's conference: "Orientation of sports to contribute to sustainable development", demonstrating ASEAN's common vision in making sports a driving force for health, solidarity and social development.

Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet assessed that in recent years, ASEAN sports have achieved many outstanding achievements: the SEA Games were a great success, the community sports movement spread strongly, many regional athletes affirmed their position in the continental and world arena. However, to move towards sustainable development, ASEAN sports need to face challenges such as social change, pressure of international integration and the need to balance achievements with comprehensive development.

Director of the Vietnam Sports Administration Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet speaks at the opening event of the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting. PHOTO: Organizing Committee

Leaders of Vietnam Sports Administration at the conference

Representatives of Thailand attended the conference

ASEAN Council Secretary speaks

In that spirit, ASEAN countries will continue to cooperate to realize key goals such as: developing sports for health and community welfare; improving the quality of life by encouraging people to practice sports regularly; promoting high-performance sports associated with science and technology to enhance the competitiveness of regional athletes.

At the same time, ASEAN will focus on preserving and promoting traditional sports, creating its own identity in the flow of global integration. "Sports are not just about medals or achievements, but also an expression of people, culture and cohesion. With the spirit of a united and dynamic ASEAN, I believe that the consensus of member countries will help us build a creative and sustainable ASEAN sports community, contributing to the common prosperity of the region," Mr. Nguyen Danh Hoang Viet emphasized.

The conference is expected to bring a breakthrough to Southeast Asian sports.

The 16th ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting on Sports opened on the morning of October 13 with the theme: "Orientation of sports contributing to sustainable development".

PHOTO: Organizing Committee

Immediately after the opening session, the conference approved the agenda with many important contents such as the final assessment of the ASEAN Action Plan on Sports for the period 2021 - 2025, discussion of the ASEAN - FIFA Memorandum of Understanding, and update on the implementation progress of the ASEAN High Performance Sports Training Center in Malaysia - a key project towards improving training capacity and developing regional sports. In the afternoon of the same day, SOMS-16 will spend time celebrating ASEAN Sports Day, listening to reports on preparations for the 33rd SEA Games and the 13th ASEAN Para Games in Thailand - two events considered a measure of solidarity and organizational capacity of Southeast Asian sports.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khai-mac-hoi-nghi-quan-chuc-cap-cao-asean-ve-the-thao-lan-thu-16-buoc-dot-pha-manh-me-185251013105302096.htm