The 32nd SEA Games presented many challenges.

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In preparation for the 32nd SEA Games and the 2022 Asian Games (ASIAD 19), the Vietnamese athletics team has been training since the beginning of January 2023 at the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi and the National Sports Training Center in Ho Chi Minh City with 79 athletes. Alongside familiar faces such as Nguyen Thi Oanh, Do Quoc Luat, Bui Thi Thu Thao, etc., many new talents of Vietnamese athletics are being called up to the national team for the first time, including Tran Thi Nhi Yen, Hoang Thi Anh Thuc, Dao Minh Thien... Notably, athlete Le Tu Chinh returns after nearly a year of absence from competition to treat and recover from injury. At the 31st SEA Games, the Vietnamese athletics team excellently won 22 gold medals and ranked first overall. Heading towards the 32nd SEA Games, the Vietnamese athletics team aims to win 15 to 17 gold medals, so the pressure to maintain their top position is considerable.

The Vietnamese swimming team is currently training at the Can Tho National Sports Training Center, and some of its top athletes have already departed for training in Hungary. Similar to the 31st SEA Games, the Vietnamese swimming team is still relying on the trio of athletes Nguyen Huy Hoang, Tran Hung Nguyen, and Pham Thanh Bao. Likewise, national teams in badminton, stick fighting, table tennis, cycling, pencak silat, etc., are also working hard in training and trying to reach their peak performance.

In 2023, many national teams underwent personnel changes as foreign coaches and experts ended their contracts. According to Mr. Ngo Ich Quan, Director of the High-Performance Sports Department II ( General Department of Physical Education and Sports ), in the short term, domestic coaches will lead the teams in preparation for the SEA Games and ASIAD. In the long term, to train a new generation of young athletes capable of competing for medals at major competitions, it is still necessary to find foreign experts to help young athletes develop better. Hiring foreign experts remains a problem for Vietnamese sports due to unsuitable policies and mechanisms. National fencing team head coach Pham Anh Tuan once analyzed the situation with a reporter from the People's Army Newspaper: "With the current remuneration, we can only invite experts who are currently unemployed in countries with developed sports systems."

In preparation for the 32nd SEA Games and related tasks, the national teams were concentrated at 5 locations, including: Hanoi National Training Center (800 athletes, 160 coaches, 12 experts), Ho Chi Minh City National Training Center (586 athletes, 121 coaches, 2 experts), Da Nang National Training Center (258 athletes, 58 coaches, 2 experts), Can Tho National Training Center (33 athletes, 9 coaches, 1 expert), and Bac Ninh University of Physical Education and Sports (47 athletes, 10 coaches). Mr. Hoang Quoc Vinh, Director of the High-Performance Sports Department I (General Department of Physical Education and Sports), stated: “Due to national duty, many athletes and coaches in the national teams did not get to rest after the 9th National Sports Games in 2022 ended, but continued training at national training centers. Some teams went to compete and train internationally to improve the skills of their athletes.”

Many difficulties and challenges

At the 32nd SEA Games, host country Cambodia is expected to organize 36 sports with 583 events. The Vietnamese sports delegation is expected to participate in 30 sports and 444 events. This is a challenging Games for Vietnamese sports as a number of our strong sports and events are not included in the competition program, such as rowing, canoeing, shooting, archery, kurash, bodybuilding, etc. In addition, many of Vietnam's strong sports have had their events reduced and the number of registered events limited. Therefore, achieving high results in these sports is very difficult, and it will be hard to reach the number of medals needed to achieve a high ranking like at the 31st SEA Games.

According to Deputy Director General of the General Department of Physical Education and Sports Tran Duc Phan, the 32nd SEA Games will take place from May 5th to May 17th in Cambodia. The goal for Vietnamese sports is to be in the top 3 at the 32nd SEA Games and win 100 gold medals or more. Therefore, immediately after the conclusion of the 9th National Sports Games in 2022, the sports sector reviewed and assessed the strength of each sport, preparing the best possible team for the 32nd SEA Games. Mr. Phan stated: “The General Department of Physical Education and Sports also requested the National Training Centers to create the best possible environment for training and living, fostering an enthusiastic competitive atmosphere for athletes to prepare for the Games. The difficulties faced by the Vietnamese sports delegation are also common difficulties for all participating countries, so we are determined to overcome our own limitations and strive for the highest possible achievements. Athletes must also set the highest goal and give their best for the national flag and the country.”

To help athletes acclimatize to the climate and weather in Cambodia, the General Department of Physical Education and Sports has sent national teams to training camps in locations with similar climates to Ho Chi Minh City or Binh Thuan. Currently, some experts are developing short-term training plans, such as the Judo team training in Mongolia for about 20 days, and the Taekwondo team training in South Korea for about a month. The Vietnamese stick fighting team has invited a Filipino expert to train them. Mr. Ngo Ich Quan, Director of the High-Performance Sports Department II (General Department of Physical Education and Sports), said: “This is the preparation phase for the ASIAD, the Olympic qualifiers, and the 32nd SEA Games. Therefore, we have to carefully plan the distribution of resources to ensure good performance in all competitions. To achieve this, the coaching staff of each team must adjust the peak performance of the athletes so that they can complete the assigned tasks.”

HUU LE

Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/the-thao/trong-nuoc/ky-sea-games-32-nhieu-thach-thuc-721521