There's no such thing as suddenly "disappearing".

Báo Văn Hóa•24/04/2023

Vietnamese eSports achieved great success at the 31st SEA Games. Photo: DUY KHÁNH

Not to be appointed as head coach.

According to this information, Mr. Duong Vi Khoa - Head Coach of the Vietnamese eSports team - who has been with the eSports team for the past 15 years, was registered as the Head Coach of the Vietnamese eSports team by the Vietnam Entertainment eSports Association (VIRESA) in the list submitted to the General Department of Sports and Physical Training for approval by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. However, for unknown reasons, Mr. Khoa's name suddenly "disappeared" from the final decision.

In fact, according to Văn Hóa's investigation, in official document No. 16.A/CV-ĐTGT, dated March 15, 2023, from the Vietnam Esports and Entertainment Association to the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, reporting on the preparation and proposals of the Vietnam Esports and Entertainment Association for the SEA Games 32, regarding the esports team composition, Mr. Dương Vi Khoa's name was registered as an officer, not as the head coach of the Vietnamese esports team. In addition, this list also includes Mr. Ngô Minh Trí, whose duties include supporting athlete management and providing professional advice for PUBG, League of Legends, and VALORANT.

The report also states that Vietnamese eSports will register to participate in 7 out of 9 events, including: Counter-Strike (team), PUBG Mobile (individual), PUBG Mobile (team), Mobile Legends (Bang Bang team men), Mobile Legends (Bang Bang team women), League of Legends, and VALORANT (team). In each event, there are registered individuals serving as coaches, such as Coach Nguyen Viet Thanh, Coach Nguyen Hong Thang, Coach Nguyen Xuan Tuan, Coach Quach Dang Phi, etc.

This is also perfectly consistent with the characteristics of eSports today, as each team is managed by the game producer, who also sends its members to participate in the Games. In this report, the Vietnam Entertainment Esports Association also stated that, regarding professional work and team preparation, the Association has discussed and agreed with domestic publishers to organize the selection process, ensuring the required progress and quality of the selection. Through this, they have agreed to select and propose a list of national teams to participate in eSports events at the 32nd SEA Games, which has been submitted to the Vietnam Olympic Committee to complete the procedures according to regulations. Notably, in the list of the Vietnamese eSports delegation to the Games, Mr. Duong Vi Khoa will participate in the 32nd SEA Games as an official.

On March 20, 2023, the Vietnam Esports and Entertainment Association issued official document No. 20/CV-ĐTGT regarding the official list of athletes registered for the 32nd SEA Games, signed by General Secretary Do Viet Hung. According to this document, the esports team consists of 53 members, but Mr. Duong Vi Khoa was not registered as the head coach of the esports team; other coaching positions were registered for all competition categories.

Therefore, it can be confirmed that the list sent by the Vietnam Esports and Entertainment Association does not include Mr. Duong Vi Khoa as the head coach. Thus, there is no truth to the claim that Mr. Khoa was registered as head coach by the Association and then "disappeared" from the official list of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, as one source has reported.

The association did not propose awarding Mr. Duong Vi Khoa a prize.

Regarding Mr. Duong Vi Khoa, there is also information that he was the head coach of the eSports team at the 31st SEA Games. However, nearly a year after the Games ended, all coaches and athletes of the eSports team have received their medal bonuses as stipulated by the State and the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, but Mr. Khoa is the only one who has not yet received his money.

Regarding this matter, on May 27, 2022, the Vietnam Esports and Entertainment Association issued document No. 66/DTGT-VP confirming the list of direct coaches and grassroots coaches for esports at the SEA Games 31 as a basis for awarding commendations. Accordingly, the Esports Association confirmed the list of grassroots and direct coaches for esports who achieved success at the SEA Games 31. Seven coaches were nominated on this list: Vo Hoang Huy, Tran Minh Khoi, Phan Huy Phong, Nguyen Xuan Tuan, Bui Minh Quan, Nguyen Anh Tu, and Nguyen Thac Hai Dang.

On May 30, 2022, the governing bodies of the various competitions also sent official letters confirming the coaches who achieved outstanding results and were recommended for commendation at the 31st SEA Games. These included: Vietnam Electronic Sports and Entertainment Joint Stock Company confirming three coaches: Vo Hoang Huy, Phan Huy Phong, and Tran Minh Khoi; VNG Joint Stock Company confirming two coaches who directly achieved success at the Games: Nguyen Xuan Tuan and Bui Minh Quan; and VTC Online Media Joint Stock Company confirming two coaches, Nguyen Anh Tu and Nguyen Thac Hai Dang, who also achieved success at the 31st SEA Games. In these letters, Mr. Duong Vi Khoa was not nominated. Therefore, there is no basis for the General Department of Sports and Physical Training's emulation and commendation department to recommend him for commendation.

Responding to Văn Hóa newspaper, Director General of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, Đặng Hà Việt, stated that when compiling the list of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation for the 32nd SEA Games to submit to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for a decision, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training had to follow a process of seeking opinions from specialized units. The delegation's composition was thoroughly reviewed by leaders in charge of high-performance sports and specialized departments, ensuring compliance with the regulations of the Organizing Committee of the Games as well as the professional selection procedures.

VAN SA

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