Clarify the responsibilities of the Department of Sports and Physical Education and the two units.

"Based on verification and clarification of the nature of the incident and any violations found in the national youth table tennis team, we will prepare a report and implement measures in accordance with the law," Deputy Director of the Department of Physical Education and Sports Nguyen Hong Minh responded to the controversy surrounding the 800,000 VND meal at the national youth table tennis team.

Based on the directives of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the verification and review of all relevant information, the Department of Sports and Physical Education will clarify the responsibility of the My Dinh National Sports Complex in providing accommodation and meals for the youth table tennis team. For the Hanoi National Training Center, this is the responsibility of managing professional training, providing accommodation and meals, and implementing state policies and regulations for athletes.

An image allegedly showing a meal for a national youth table tennis team athlete has caused a stir in public opinion. (Photo: Tien Phong Newspaper)

The Department of Sports and Physical Education and its related units are also responsible for comprehensively directing and managing the training of national teams. Deputy Director Nguyen Hong Minh emphasized that the Department's leaders bear the greatest responsibility in deciding where the national teams will train.

Explaining the arrangement of living and training venues for the national teams, Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh said that this was done based on the decentralization of professional management by the leadership of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Department of Sports decided to assign the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi to manage the training of more than 40 national teams. However, this unit can only accommodate half of the above number.

"The conditions regarding facilities, accommodation, and specialized equipment for the national teams are very challenging. With over 40 teams, the National Training Center in Hanoi can only provide accommodation for about half of them; the rest are accommodated at other locations in Hanoi and other localities, based on available specialized facilities," said Deputy Director Nguyen Hong Minh.

Regarding responsibilities in managing and supervising the training of national teams at the Hanoi National Training Center, Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh added: "The first responsibility lies with the state management and advisory units, and the high-performance sports departments, when advising the leaders of the Department of Sports and Physical Education on the decision of training locations. The second responsibility relates to the Hanoi National Training Center, the unit directly managing the service and training. Finally, the greatest responsibility rests with the Department of Sports and Physical Education when deciding where the national teams will train."

Following reports that the meals provided to the national youth table tennis team were not commensurate with the athletes' entitlements, and that the head coach had collected certain fees from the athletes, the Department of Sports and Physical Education launched an investigation and took appropriate action.

The conclusions of the verification by the Department of Sports and Physical Education have not yet been announced. The Department of Sports and Physical Education replaced the coaching staff of the national youth table tennis team and decided to suspend training for coach Bui Xuan Ha (who was criticized for collecting money from athletes).

The athletes were also moved back to the National Sports Training Center in Hanoi for living and training, instead of staying at the National Sports Complex (My Dinh, Hanoi) as before. The junior table tennis team is also the only national team training at this facility.

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