Sharing with VietNamNet , Mr. H.D (Hoang Mai district, Hanoi) said that his son D.N (student of Linh Dam Secondary School) represented Hoang Mai district to participate in the Hanoi High School Sports Tournament for swimming students in the 2024-2025 school year, held over 3 days from April 24 to 26.

On the afternoon of April 24, his son participated in the final round of the 50m freestyle event for men aged 14-15, swimming in lane 3. Immediately after the round, according to the results announced by the organizing committee, D.N finished third with a time of 27 seconds 26, losing to the student swimming in lane 5 who finished second in 27 seconds 25.

However, Mr. H.D.'s family was not satisfied with this result. According to the clip he recorded while watching the competition, it seemed that his son finished first compared to the friend who was announced as the runner-up.

According to Mr. H.D, not only he but also some parents and coaches of swimming clubs in Hanoi who directly observed at the finish area (very close to the competition location) also agreed on this matter.

The clips were recorded by Mr. H.D and other parents (in the clip, counting from the side with the swimming competition banner, student D.N swims in lane 3, and the contestant announced as second place swims in lane 5):

According to Mr. H.D, after receiving the results from the organizing committee, in accordance with regulations, he asked the representative of Hoang Mai district delegation to file a complaint about the results.

At noon on April 25, at a meeting with representatives of Hoang Mai district, the organizing committee responded that the results announced initially remained the same.

Thinking that this answer was not convincing, on April 26, Mr. H.D. submitted a petition to the organizing committee and stated his opinion: If the organizing committee has convincing evidence for its decision, it can announce it to the contestant's family. According to Mr. H.D., the organizing committee also has cameras recording at the finish line.

“In the clips we recorded, when my child’s hand reached the finish line, the other child’s hand was raised. That day, many parents and coaches of the teams stood watching and witnessing. I really hope the organizers will consider the evidence, which is the clips provided by the family as well as the audience, to have more basis for making the final decision,” said Mr. H.D.

Mr. H.D also submitted a petition to the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hanoi to review the announced results.

"I hope the organizing committee will follow the criteria in the issued regulations to be fair, creating a healthy and beneficial playground for students," said Mr. H.D.

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The Hanoi High School Sports Tournament for the 2024-2025 school year, swimming, will be held for 3 days from April 24 to 26. Photo: TL

Speaking to VietNamNet on the morning of May 8, Mr. Kieu Cao Trinh, Deputy Head of the Department of Politics , Ideology and Student Affairs (Hanoi Department of Education and Training) said that the Department had received a petition from parents about this matter. “We will have to invite representatives of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with team leaders and students’ families to reach an agreement on the matter. The matter will have to be assessed by the arbitration council. In this case, the time difference between the two contestants was too small, one was 27''26, the other was 27''25; that is, only a difference of 0.01 seconds. According to the tournament regulations, when there is a complaint, the clip recorded by the organizing committee with a specialized camera must be used,” Mr. Trinh said.

A representative of the Hanoi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said that right after the end of this competition, the organizing committee received a complaint about the swimming results from the Hoang Mai district team.

“At that time, the professional council also reviewed the camera with the deputy head of the swimming team of Hoang Mai district and went to sign the minutes, confirming that D.N's performance was lower than that of the student announced as second place. The entire record of the camera performance check was confirmed by the referee, the Department of Education and Training, the federation and the representative of the district's team,” he said.

According to this person, each angle of the clip will reflect differently and give different views. “Not to mention, the contestants are only 0.01 seconds apart, so it is difficult to film clearly. If filming in unofficial positions, how can it be accurate? However, we follow the tournament regulations. When there are complaints, they will be handled according to the regulations. In the tournament regulations, the organizing committee only accepts clips from the tournament's cameras. Not to mention, in sports competitions, if the referee makes a wrong decision, the organizing committee will have to deal with the referee; but the competition results must respect the referee's decision,” this person said.

According to this person, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism only supports the refereeing work, while the final decision on the candidates' achievements is made by the Department of Education and Training.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/cho-rang-ket-qua-thi-boi-cua-con-chua-thoa-dang-phu-huynh-ha-noi-len-tieng-2399060.html