The goal is to win 7 or 8 tickets to France.
Following the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the 2024 Paralympic Games will take place from August 28th to September 8th in France. According to sports leaders, the 2024 Paralympic Games are one of the important goals of Vietnamese sports , and have been a priority for the sports sector and the Vietnam Paralympic Committee since the beginning of 2024.
Swimmer Le Tien Dat is one of four Vietnamese athletes with disabilities who qualified for the 2024 Paralympic Games.
As of now, according to the Organizing Committee's announcement, Vietnamese disabled sports have secured 4 official spots to compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games: in weightlifting with athlete Le Van Cong and in swimming with athletes: Le Tien Dat (gold medalist at the 4th Asian Para Games), Do Thanh Hai (4 gold medalists at the 2023 ASEAN Para Games) and Trinh Thi Bich Nhu.
Pham Dong Anh, Head of Sports for People with Disabilities (Department of Sports for All - Department of Sports and Physical Education), said that from the beginning of the year, a training plan for Vietnamese athletes with disabilities has been developed, including overseas training and hiring experts to support the athletes' training in order to prepare them well for the qualifying tournaments for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. These include the World Athletics Championships in Japan, the World Weightlifting Championships, the World and Asian Swimming Championships in the UAE and Thailand, and the World Badminton Championships (Badminton does not count towards qualifying points for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games).
"The sports sector has improved the benefits such as nutrition, training equipment, and medical care for athletes competing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. The goal of Vietnamese disabled sports is to win 7-8 tickets (both official and wildcard) to participate in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games," said Mr. Pham Dong Anh.
According to regulations, Paralympic slots are allocated by country (MQS Slot Allocation). Athletes from each country who meet the MQS standard (referred to as standard A) will contribute points to their country's ranking when the calculation formula is applied. A total of 178 male and 147 female athletes qualified for the Paralympics based on the MQS Slot Allocation ranking. Vietnamese Paralympic athletes will also be waiting for four more slots in weightlifting at the tournament at the end of May in Thailand, and will also await consideration for athletics.
Aiming for a longer-term goal.
Over the years, Vietnamese disabled sports have been recognized for their strong development, both in terms of grassroots participation and international achievements. Approximately 30,000 disabled individuals regularly participate in sports within their communities. Looking back at 2023, the Vietnamese disabled sports delegation achieved impressive results at the 12th ASEAN Para Games, with 125 athletes competing in 8 out of 14 sports and winning 201 medals (66 gold, 58 silver, and 77 bronze), ranking 3rd overall. At the 2023 Asian Para Games, the Vietnamese disabled sports delegation won 1 gold, 10 silver, and 9 bronze medals. This provides a foundation and motivation for the athletes to strive for qualification for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Weightlifter Le Van Cong is the number one hope at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
According to the Secretary General of the Vietnam Paralympic Committee, Le Duc Tho, in addition to the goal of qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Vietnamese athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games are striving for medals. The greatest hope rests on weightlifter Le Van Cong.
Recently, concluding the Paralympic weightlifting competitions at the 2024 World Cup in Thailand, Vietnam's Paralympic team won a total of 5 gold medals and 3 silver medals, ranking 6th overall. The host nation Thailand topped the medal table with 15 gold medals, 4 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals. The 2024 World Cup is part of the ranking system for awarding official tickets to the 2024 Paralympic Games. After the competition in Thailand, the 2024 Paralympic weightlifting World Cup has two final competitions in Mexico in May and Georgia in June. Vietnamese Paralympic athletes still have a chance to qualify for the Games in France.
"If Lê Văn Công wins a medal at this year's Paralympic Games, he will set a national record by winning medals three times in a row at the world's biggest sporting event. The sports sector assesses his chances of winning a medal, as well as his efforts and determination during training and competition," said Mr. Lê Đức Thọ.
In addition to its specific task of participating in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, the goal of Vietnamese disabled sports in the 2024-2029 period is to strive to have 160-165 first-level athletes participating in year-round training at national and local sports training centers, and to send 130 members to participate in the 2026 Southeast Asian Games for people with disabilities.
Source
Comment (0)