Pickleball promises to stir up the 2026 National Sports Festival - Photo: QT
The National Sports Festival is held every four years and is the largest sports festival in the country. After 20 years, the National Sports Festival will return to Ho Chi Minh City. The last time Ho Chi Minh City hosted this festival was in 2006, with 53 sports organized.
In this organization, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism approved the Project to organize the National Sports Festival with 47 expected sports.
The focus will be on 22 Olympic sports, including important sports such as athletics, swimming, volleyball, football... to golf, triathlon, handball.
The Asiad group (not yet included in the official Olympic program) has 7 subjects, including: karate, wushu, sepak takraw, kurash, jujitsu, roller and esport.
The SEA Games and ethnic sports group will have 12 sports, with the first appearance of pickleball.
Introduced to Vietnam from around 2022 until now, pickleball has created a fever attracting a large number of players. It is estimated that in Vietnam there are currently tens of thousands of pickleball players, including many top tennis players who have switched to it.
The 2026 National Sports Festival is scheduled to be held in November, with the main host location being Ho Chi Minh City, along with two supporting locations, Dong Nai and Dong Thap.
In addition to the goal of training and preparing for the SEA Games, Asiad and Olympics, the 2026 National Sports Festival also aims to introduce and promote the image of Ho Chi Minh City - a smart city, a modern service and industrial city with a good quality of life, civilized, modern and affectionate.
Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi are the two most important spearheads of Vietnamese sports. At the 9th National Sports Festival in 2022, Hanoi ranked first with 175 gold medals, Ho Chi Minh City ranked second with 128 gold medals. At the 32nd SEA Games in 2023, Ho Chi Minh City is also the second largest contributor to the achievements of the Vietnamese sports delegation with 31/136 gold medals.
The 2026 National Sports Festival held in Ho Chi Minh City will be an opportunity to develop infrastructure and improve the achievements of Ho Chi Minh City's sports. Besides, it will be a driving force for the development of sports in the southern region.
Gymnastics - an Olympic sport and a strength of Ho Chi Minh City sports - Photo: TTO
47 sports expected to be held at the 2026 National Sports Festival
Olympic sports (22 events): Athletics (including Ba Ra Mountain Cross-country), Aquatics (swimming, diving), Gymnastics, Rowing (rowing, canoeing/kayak, sailing, traditional boat), Football (11-a-side football for men and women; men's futsal), Wrestling (freestyle wrestling, classical wrestling, beach wrestling), Shooting, Archery, Weightlifting, Judo, Taekwondo, Boxing, Fencing, Badminton, Tennis, Volleyball (indoor, beach), Basketball (5x5, 3x3), Handball (indoor, beach), Cycling (road, off-road), Table tennis, Golf, Triathlon.
ASIAD group (07 subjects): Karate, Wushu, Sepak Takraw, Kurash, Jujitsu, Roller and Esport.
SEA Games and traditional sports group (12 sports regularly included in the competition program of the SEA Games and 6 traditional sports that are strongly developed in many localities): Pencak Silat, Bodybuilding, Muay, Petanque, Kick Boxing, Bowling, Chess (chess, Chinese chess, Go), Billiards & Snooker, Sports dancing, Vovinam, Diving, Traditional martial arts, Shuttlecock, Stick pushing, Tug of war, Pickleball, Lion and Dragon.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phe-duyet-de-an-to-chuc-dai-hoi-the-thao-toan-quoc-2026-tai-tp-hcm-20250731164731281.htm
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