Vietnamese sports and the message at SEA Games 33

Vietnamese sports and the message at SEA Games 33

Before the opening day, the Vietnamese Sports Delegation and other delegations attending the 33rd SEA Games in Bangkok held a flag-raising ceremony at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium.

Present at the flag-raising ceremony, swimmer Trinh Truong Vinh (18 years old) of the Vietnamese swimming team shared: “This is the first time I have attended the flag-raising ceremony. I feel very honored, moved and proud to be among the Vietnamese sports team present at this important event. From then on, I am even more determined to compete better, contributing with my teammates to the success of Vietnamese sports at this SEA Games.”

Vietnamese sports ready for SEA Games 33. Photo: Bui Luong.

The flag-raising ceremony at the 33rd SEA Games has a deeper meaning, demonstrating the spirit of solidarity, friendship and the aspiration to build a peaceful , stable and sustainable ASEAN Community. When the national flags of Southeast Asian countries fly together to the majestic music, it is a vivid symbol of the spirit of “One Vision – One Identity – One Community” that ASEAN has repeatedly affirmed in its joint statements.

The SEA Games has always been seen as a forum for unity rather than competition, where sports become a bridge between nations. The flag-raising ceremony, therefore, is a moment that evokes a sense of pride but at the same time reminds us of the responsibility to join hands to foster peace, mutual understanding and sustainable development in the region. This is also the consistent spirit of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, towards a cohesive, inclusive region that respects cultural diversity and promotes humanitarian cooperation among nations.

The Vietnamese sports delegation attending the 33rd SEA Games with 842 athletes aims to be in the top 3. Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh - Head of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation at the 33rd SEA Games said: "Although there are still difficulties, such as some key sports are in the process of rejuvenating their forces; a number of young athletes lack experience in international competitions; funding for overseas training is still limited compared to actual needs. Along with that, the competition from strong countries in the region such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines is increasingly fierce, creating great pressure on the delegation's performance goals.

Based on the analysis of the strength and the correlation of achievements in the region, the delegation set a goal of striving to win from 90 to 110 gold medals, continuing to maintain its position in the leading group of Southeast Asia, and determined to protect the achievements of the two men's and women's football teams. All officials, experts, coaches and athletes of the Vietnamese sports delegation are deeply aware that this is an important task, a great responsibility and honor when competing for the glory of the Fatherland, for the pride of the Vietnamese people.

“I hope that when competing, Vietnamese athletes, when facing the strongest athletes in the region such as Thailand and Singapore, will have the motivation to strive and develop their skills to gradually shorten the gap. From there, we will achieve higher results, aiming for further goals such as Asiad and Olympics,” said Mr. Nguyen Hong Minh.

Speaking about the goals of the Vietnamese sports delegation, expert Nguyen Hong Minh – former Head of the High-Performance Sports Department 1, General Department of Physical Education and Sports – once told the media: “The goal of finishing in the top 3 is achievable, even in the top 2.”

However, competing for the first place is a difficult problem. A long-standing problem of Vietnamese sports is that although they ranked first in the SEA Games, they did not achieve corresponding results in the ASIAD. For example, at the 32nd SEA Games, Vietnamese sports ranked first overall, but at the ASIAD in Hangzhou (China), they only won 3 gold medals.

If we consider this as a training arena, we need to focus on winning in the above mentioned sports. Being the top of the SEA Games but not having the ability to advance in the continent will not bring much value. Therefore, chasing the overall rankings is not as important as us being the top of the region in sports belonging to the ASIAD and Olympic system.

The SEA Games must serve the goals of the ASIAD and the Olympics, because regional achievements are only truly meaningful when linked to the roadmap to raise the level of Vietnamese sports in larger arenas.

SEA Games 33 Opening Ceremony Script

The opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games was held on the evening of December 9 at Rajamangala National Stadium with a capacity of about 50,000 spectators.

According to Mr. Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn - the program's general director, the opening ceremony will be a blend of advanced stage technology and typical Thai cultural values. The spirit of this SEA Games is expressed through the theme "We Are One", emphasizing solidarity in the region, while recalling the special milestone when Thailand - the birthplace of the SEA Games in 1959 - continues to play the role of host after 66 years.

The program consists of 5 main parts. The opening part recreates the history of the SEA Games, an inspirational performance for athletes, a performance honoring Southeast Asian cultural identity; to the technology application performance and scenes affirming the spirit of friendship between countries. The opening ceremony also brings together many famous artists such as BamBam, Buakaw, F.Hero, Twopee and Violette Wautier. In particular, the new Miss World 2025 - Opal Suchata Chuangsri and 10 other Miss Thailand will represent and lead the sports delegation of 11 participating countries, creating a different highlight for the opening ceremony that the host country expects to be the most impressive in many recent SEA Games.

HH

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/the-thao-viet-nam-va-thong-diep-o-sea-games-33-i790482/