The grassroots-level sports festival has begun.

In accordance with the Provincial People's Committee's plan to organize the Sports and Physical Education Congress at all levels and the 9th Quang Tri Provincial Sports and Physical Education Congress in 2025-2026, from the early days of the Lunar New Year of the Snake - 2025, localities throughout the province have enthusiastically organized many sports competitions included in the official program of the congress; creating beneficial and attractive playgrounds during Tet, attracting a large number of people from all walks of life to participate in the competitions and cheer. This smooth start will create a solid foundation for the successful organization of the Sports and Physical Education Congress at all levels.

Springtime competition

On the morning of February 1st (the 4th day of the Lunar New Year), the Vinh Linh District Sports Training Center was bustling with activity as hundreds of people cheered enthusiastically for the players competing in the 28th Traditional Volleyball Tournament celebrating the Party and the Spring Festival, organized by Ho Xa town. The tournament, held over two days, February 1st and 2nd, brought together 168 male and female athletes from 8 men's volleyball teams and 6 women's volleyball teams.

The Volleyball Tournament at the Cua Tung Town Sports Festival, Vinh Linh District, was lively and exciting - Photo: DC

According to Tran Thanh Duong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Xa town, "The Ho Xa town volleyball tournament is regularly held during Tet (Lunar New Year) and this year it has been included in the Ho Xa Town Sports Festival. This year's tournament has a high professional quality as the teams have prepared well in all aspects. A large number of people, not only from the town but also from neighboring localities, came to watch and cheer, increasing the tournament's appeal in the early days of the new year. Following the success of the volleyball tournament, we will continue to organize tug-of-war, stick-pushing, chess, and athletics competitions."

Through these tournaments, the town selects outstanding athletes for the town team to participate in the 10th Vinh Linh District Sports Festival with the determination to maintain a top ranking overall. Following Ho Xa town, many other localities such as Cua Tung town, Vinh Tu commune... have chosen volleyball as the "opening" sport for the Sports Festival. Organizing volleyball tournaments at the beginning of the year has created high consensus among the people of Vinh Linh by meeting their needs for enjoyment, while also creating an important foundation for Vinh Linh volleyball to affirm its position throughout the province.

To create a joyful and enthusiastic atmosphere for the spring festival and to promote physical fitness, on the morning of February 2nd (the 5th day of the Lunar New Year), Dong Le Ward, Dong Ha City, organized the Stick Pushing and Chess Tournament, part of the Dong Le Ward Sports Festival 2025, with over 70 male and female athletes of various ages participating. This was the first time Dong Le Ward included chess as an official competition at the Sports Festival. More than 30 young athletes competed in 3 categories: U8, Open, and women's, bringing a "fresh breeze" to the ward's sports festival.

According to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Chien, a cultural and social affairs official of Dong Le ward, in addition to stick pushing and chess, the Dong Le Ward Sports Festival will also include competitions in athletics, cross-country running, tug-of-war, and football. Dong Le ward has completed all necessary preparations to successfully organize the Sports Festival as planned.

Steadfastly moving forward

Due to the importance of the quadrennial sports festival, the first events of the grassroots-level sports festival have received significant attention from localities throughout the province. This includes focusing on investing in facilities, improving the professional skills and expertise of sports officials in organizing and managing the competitions, and ensuring that villages and neighborhoods have made good preparations in terms of personnel, training, and competition attire. This is a crucial foundation contributing to improving the quality of the first events of the district, town, and city-level sports festivals.

Chess will be included for the first time in the Dong Le Ward Sports Festival in 2025 - Photo: DC

In the early days of spring, the district-level Sports Festival officially commenced, notably Gio Linh district organizing chess, table tennis, and billiards tournaments; Trieu Phong district organizing a chess tournament; Quang Tri town organizing volleyball and tug-of-war tournaments; Dong Ha city organizing chess and tug-of-war tournaments... According to Hoang Thanh Su, Director of the Dong Ha City Center for Culture, Information and Sports, the city's Center for Culture, Information and Sports proactively coordinated with relevant provincial and city departments to organize training for sports officials in wards, agencies, and units on professional skills, organization, planning, regulations, and management of competition events in the grassroots Sports Festival program.

From the 4th day of the Lunar New Year, many wards in the city successfully organized the first competitions of the Ward Sports Festival, such as stick pushing, football, and chess. The 10th Dong Ha City Sports Festival - 2025 will take place from January 2025 and conclude before December 31, 2025, with 11 sports. On February 5th, Dong Ha City organized competitions in two sports: chess and stick pushing, attracting nearly 150 athletes.

According to assessments, the professional quality of these two sports is quite high; the athletes competed seriously. “After this smooth start, the city will organize the remaining nine sports as planned, and at the same time invest in the selection, training, and development of outstanding athletes for the city's team to participate in the Provincial Sports Festival with the highest spirit and determination to maintain its number one position in the province,” Mr. Su said.

The official start of the grassroots-level sports festivals across the province has made the Tet holiday sports scene even more vibrant and attractive; meeting the people's needs for enjoyment, recreation, and entertainment; and contributing to the steady progress of the mass sports movement. According to Phan Van Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the sports festivals at all levels are activities of great political and social significance throughout the province, creating a profound shift in the awareness and actions of all levels, sectors, and society as a whole regarding the position, role, and importance of sports in improving the health and physical fitness of the people.

Over the past period, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has performed its assigned functions and duties well; monitoring, urging, and inspecting the implementation of the plan and the organization of the grassroots-level Sports and Physical Education Congress; and directing and supporting localities in organizing the congresses according to the plan. Specifically, the Sports and Physical Education Congress at the commune, ward, and town level will organize competitions in 5 or more sports, concluding before June 30, 2025; the Sports and Physical Education Congress at the district, town, and city level will organize competitions in 10 or more sports, concluding before December 31, 2025; and the Provincial-level Sports and Physical Education Congress will organize competitions in 16 sports, concluding before April 30, 2026.

“This is also an opportunity to evaluate the results of the sports and physical training movement in localities and units; to continue maintaining and promoting the campaign “All people practice physical training following the example of the great President Ho Chi Minh”; to preserve and promote modern sports, ethnic sports and traditional folk games in the locality; to discover and select outstanding athletes to contribute to the development of high-performance sports for the locality, unit and the nation,” Mr. Hoa said.

Hoai Diem Chi

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/khoi-tranh-dai-hoi-the-duc-the-thao-cap-co-so-191574.htm