SEA Games 33: Fighting hard for the national flag

Minister Nguyen Van Hung hopes that the Vietnamese sports delegation will be determined to compete and win, not only to improve their performance but also to represent the colors of the Fatherland.

Strive for the best

On the morning of December 9, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung visited and encouraged the Vietnamese sports delegation in Thailand competing at the 33rd SEA Games.

Minister Nguyen Van Hung visited and encouraged the competitive spirit of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the 33rd SEA Games.

Reporting to Minister Nguyen Van Hung at the meeting, Head of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation Nguyen Hong Minh said that by the morning of December 19, there were 28 teams with 552 members in Thailand. During the day, the delegation will welcome 160 more athletes, including teams such as athletics, archery, volleyball, etc.

"The athletes have made great efforts in the past few days. The Vietnamese sports delegation has also promptly made a request to the Organizing Committee about a problem and worked with the teams to overcome the difficulties, creating the best conditions for the athletes. The delegation will strive to achieve the highest results," said Mr. Minh.

Here, Minister Nguyen Van Hung directed the Vietnamese sports delegation to continue to coordinate well with the Organizing Committee to take the best care of the athletes. The Minister also listened to the feedback from the team leaders, especially the shortcomings that need to be overcome.

The Minister hopes that the Vietnamese sports delegation must be determined to compete and win, not only to improve their performance but also to represent the colors of the Fatherland.

"Each athlete competing at the SEA Games not only performs well in their professional duties but is also a cultural ambassador, promoting the image of the country, a friendly and hospitable destination, and the image of resilient and determined Vietnamese people," said the Minister.

Goal to win 110 gold medals

At this congress, the Vietnamese sports delegation participated with 841 athletes, competing in 47/50 sports. The target of the Vietnamese sports delegation at SEA Games 33 is to win 90-110 gold medals, ranking in the Top 3 leading sports delegations.

Vietnam Sports Delegation attends the 33rd SEA Games Flag Raising Ceremony.

The target of winning 110 gold medals is considered appropriate given the current strength and competitive situation. Key sports such as athletics, swimming, rowing, canoeing, wrestling, shooting, archery and martial arts still play a key role.

Swimmer Trinh Truong Vinh said that this was a special experience in his young career: "I feel very honored, moved and proud to be present at this important event. That makes me more determined to compete well and contribute to the overall success of Vietnamese sports."

Similarly, athlete Nguyen Thi Huong (Canoeing) shared that she and her teammates will try their best and be determined to compete to bring medals home for the Fatherland, respond to the expectations of fans and represent the flag.

At the most recent Congress, the Vietnamese Sports Delegation successfully completed its assigned tasks, winning a total of 359 medals of all kinds, including 136 gold medals, breaking 12 records and setting 4 SEA Games records, ranking 1st out of 11 countries participating in the Congress.

However, the 33rd SEA Games is expected to be much more competitive than the previous SEA Games because of the host country Thailand's desire to regain the overall lead. In particular, Thailand has adjusted many of the competition contents and competition organization methods.

In particular, the fact that many of Vietnam's sports strengths are not included in the competition program at the Games makes it difficult to maintain the No. 1 position like in the 31st and 32nd SEA Games.

It is known that the host country Thailand plans to send 1,300-1,500 athletes with the goal of winning more than 200 gold medals. The large number of athletes and participation in most of the competitions will give the host country many advantages in the medal competition.

Challenge for both men's and women's football

Before the official opening ceremony, some of the sports of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the 33rd SEA Games have begun to compete. In men's football, U22 Vietnam had their opening match against U22 Laos.

According to Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh, former Director of the High-Performance Sports Department, the downside of the SEA Games is that the host country has the right to adjust the number of events. Therefore, Vietnam may not aim for a Top 1 or Top 2 ranking. Instead, it should aim for top positions in Olympic sports and internationally recognized sports such as athletics, weightlifting, rowing, and table tennis. Achieving good results in these sports at the SEA Games is also a way to invest in the future at the Olympic Games.

Despite being rated much higher, U22 Vietnam still encountered many difficulties against the opponent's aggressive playing style. In the next match, U22 Vietnam had a "life and death" match with U22 Malaysia, competing for a ticket to the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, in women's football, the Vietnamese women's team played two matches and had a great start with a 7-0 victory over Malaysia in Group B. However, in the crucial match against the Philippines, a fateful opponent, coach Mai Duc Chung's team unfortunately lost in the final minutes.

Coach Mai Duc Chung affirmed that the Vietnamese women's team still has a chance to continue, but the most important thing is to beat Myanmar in the final match of the group stage.

In badminton, which took place on December 7, in the quarterfinals of the women's team event, Vietnamese players faced strong opponents from Malaysia. This is considered an important test for the medal ambitions of this sport.

The highlight of the tournament was the women's singles match between "badminton hot girl" Nguyen Thuy Linh ( world No. 22) and Letshanaa Karupathevan (world No. 42). Despite being considered the favorite, Thuy Linh unexpectedly lost the first set 15-21. However, the resilience of an Olympic competitor helped her stage a dramatic comeback to win 2-1.

However, Thuy Linh's efforts were not enough to turn the tide. Vu Thi Trang narrowly lost 1-2 to Ling Ching Wong, while the doubles pairs Pham Thi Khanh/Dieu Ly and young player Bui Bich Phuong also failed to spring any surprises. Ultimately, the Vietnamese women's badminton team lost 1-3, missing out on the bronze medal after failing to reach the semi-finals.

Grand opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games took place at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, at 7:00 p.m. on December 9, after only one month of preparation.

The opening ceremony consisted of five main parts, recounting the historical journey of Southeast Asia through the lens of sports: from the early days of the SEAP Games to its rise as the region's largest sporting event. Each part was a chapter connected by a multi-layered stage, music , laser lights, ultra-high-resolution LED systems, and 360-degree mapping technology.

The highlight of the program lies in how Thailand incorporates cultural symbols – such as the Ram Thon dance, the image of Hanuman, the white elephant, and Ayutthaya architecture – into a modern technological space, creating a "living heritage museum" right in the heart of Rajamangala. All of this is built around the theme "WE ARE ONE," aiming to celebrate the diversity yet close connection between Southeast Asian nations.

Thailand has committed to organizing the 33rd SEA Games according to strict "green" standards. The opening ceremony will minimize emissions, prioritize recycled materials, and control sound and light so as not to affect the ecosystem surrounding the stadium.

The 33rd SEA Games took place from December 9-20 at three main venues: Chonburi, Bangkok and Songkhla. The Games had 9,366 athletes participating, competing in 50 sports.

SEA Games 33 has a total of 574 sets of medals awarded, 10 sets less than the most recent SEA Games.

Source: https://baoxaydung.vn/sea-games-33-no-luc-chien-dau-vi-mau-co-sac-ao-192251209210108125.htm