Finding a way for athletics

Achievements to enjoy in the short term

Right before this conference, Vietnamese athletics received good news when athlete Mai Ngoc Anh won the silver medal in the women's high jump at the Asian U18 Athletics Championship held in Saudi Arabia. The female athlete of the People's Public Security Sports was truly a surprise factor in the Vietnamese athletics team participating in the tournament when she proved her mettle and won an unexpected silver medal. As the leader of the Vietnamese athletics team participating in this tournament - Mr. Nguyen Duc Nguyen commented, to achieve this achievement, Mai Ngoc Anh received investment and thorough training from the People's Public Security Sports. Since then, this girl has had stable development and the recent Asian U18 silver medal also clearly reflects that.

electronics.jpg -0 — Athlete Mai Ngoc Anh (right) won silver medal at the 2025 Asian U18 Athletics Championship. Photo: Duc Nguyen.

However, being happy with this silver medal is only a current and immediate story. In the long term, for the current generation of young athletes like Mai Ngoc Anh to be able to reach the continental level is another story. For example, in the high jump event, Mai Ngoc Anh, although 1m71 tall, is quite ideal for the average Vietnamese athlete and the Southeast Asian region, but is still nothing if she wants to continue to affirm her level in the Asian region. The Chinese athlete who won the gold medal in the women's high jump event at the recent U18 Asian Athletics Championships is also 1m81 tall. Not to mention athletes from the Middle East and Central Asian countries also have better physiques. With the advantage of physique and systematic techniques, it is normal for them to lose at the youth level but excel when competing at the national team level.

And to be able to compete fairly, a scientific diet and training regimen is still needed so that athletes like Mai Ngoc Anh and other Vietnamese athletes can improve their physique and fitness to reach the Asian level instead of being satisfied with competing for gold medals at the Southeast Asian level. That is also the problem of Vietnamese athletics, expected to be discussed at the workshop on the Athletics Development Project to 2030, with a vision to 2045.

It must also be mentioned that the above project has been conceived for a long time. Initially, the managers built this as a Strategy but then adjusted it to a Project. Although the level and scale have decreased, in some ways it is still really important for the development of athletics, a sport that is considered a key sport of Vietnamese sports, having brought home the ASIAD Gold Medal (in 2018) for Vietnamese sports.

Still have to rely on socialization

Currently, Vietnamese athletics is witnessing a strong development in the movement, most clearly seen in the flourishing running competitions with several thousand participants being a normal thing. However, in terms of the peak, Vietnamese athletics is facing a decline, especially in the ASIAD and Olympic arenas.

At this time, the possibility of directly qualifying for the 2028 Olympics is considered out of reach for the current generation of athletes. This also means that winning a medal in this arena for at least 1-2 Olympic cycles (4-8 years) is completely impossible. Even winning a gold medal at the ASIAD is unlikely. The women's 4x400m group was once the Asian champion, but at the ASIAD, where the delegations sent out the most powerful forces, the Vietnamese girls were only in the bronze medal group. As for young athletes like Nguyen Khanh Linh ( Ha Nam , who won a gold medal in the women's 1,500m at the Asian Youth Athletics Championships in 2022 and 2023) or the new Asian U18 women's high jump champion Mai Ngoc Anh, they are still reserved and need many conditions to continue to develop.

And certainly, it will not be possible to rush and cut corners like the case of runner Le Thi Tuyet (Phu Yen), who was suitable for the 10,000m event but was hastily transferred to the marathon event. When she did not have enough accumulation to compete in the marathon (usually for athletes aged 23 and above), the girl from Phu Yen suffered an injury and is currently undergoing treatment, at the same time leaving her top competition open in the near future.

Of course, the story related to the Athletics Development Project to 2030, with a vision to 2045, will not be purely about professional issues but also about more financial autonomy from the Vietnam Athletics Federation itself. From there, share the financial burden with the Vietnam Sports Administration and localities. For a long time, the Vietnam Athletics Federation has wanted the Vietnam Sports Administration and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to create a mechanism to exploit part of the facilities at the My Dinh National Sports Complex to have the best training grounds for Vietnamese athletes as well as exploit them for other purposes to support Vietnamese athletes.

Another option is to invest in a Vietnam Athletics Training Center in a location in Hanoi. But the problem of financial resources is something the Federation has not yet solved. Because it is certainly impossible to expect the state budget to invest in similar projects, but must come from the Federation's ability to attract social resources.

And even the problem of finding more sponsors for athletics competitions in the national competition system is very difficult, in contrast to many athletics competitions that are half amateur, half top level, is also another issue of concern. That is also a problem that needs to be solved in the upcoming conference.

All of this shows that athletics still needs a more consistent and open path than it currently does to create new milestones and stable development. A conference may not solve all the problems, but it is still expected to clarify the path in the future. The problem is still the people who implement that path.

Hope to overthrow Thai athletics
At this time, although not publicly, many Vietnamese athletics experts still cherish the hope of surpassing Thai athletics at the 33rd SEA Games right on Thai soil. To achieve that goal, the Vietnamese athletics team needs to win at least 14 gold medals.
Minh Khue

Source: https://cand.com.vn/the-thao/tim-loi-di-cho-dien-kinh-i766126/