Vovinam and the Olympic dream

VHO - The 8th WVVF World Vovinam Championships 2025, which just started in Bali (Indonesia), is a very important event for world Vovinam.

Not only witnessing the top competitions, the tournament is also a place to outline an ambitious development path, bringing the essence of Vietnamese Martial Arts that has been, is and will continue to spread strongly, officially integrating into the flow of international Olympic sports .

The 2025 World Championship is a stepping stone to realizing the Olympic dream for traditional Vietnamese martial arts.

Aiming to build a professional system

The 2025 World Vovinam Championship, which will take place until November 8, will have the participation of more than 600 athletes from 26 countries and territories with developed Vovinam movements on 4 continents: Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania. Athletes will compete in 45 sets of medals, including 26 martial arts events and 19 combat weight categories. This pinnacle sporting event is not only a place for the best martial artists in the world to compete, but also carries a historic mission: Realizing the Olympic dream for traditional Vietnamese martial arts.

The Vietnamese Vovinam team registered 39 athletes to participate in the events for combat and performance. In charge of Vovinam, Vietnam Sports Department, and Vice President of the Vietnam Vovinam Federation, Ngo Ba Huy said: “The 2025 World Championship has great professional significance. After the training process to prepare the force, the Vovinam team's coaching board selected the best athletes to participate in this tournament. We really hope that each athlete will achieve the best professional results.” In 2023, when the World Championship was held in Vietnam, the Vietnamese Vovinam team ranked No. 1 with 18 gold medals, including 10 gold medals for combat and 8 gold medals for performance.

This tournament is placed under the broad strategic vision of the World Vovinam Federation (WVVF). Right before the Opening Ceremony, the WVVF Executive Board meeting took place, discussing the action plan to achieve the WVVF's strategic goal of linking with WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) and IOC (International Olympic Committee). Seeking to join these two most powerful sports organizations in the world is of great significance, marking the strong transformation of Vovinam from a traditional martial art to a sport with a professional organizational and management structure according to international standards.

President of the World Vovinam Federation Mai Huu Tin hopes that this event will not only stop at successfully organizing a tournament but also set a specific roadmap to professionalize Vovinam. Mr. Mai Huu Tin said that the top goal set by the WVVF Executive Board at the meeting is to discuss an action plan to join WADA and IOC. This is extremely important, a stepping stone for Vovinam to be officially recognized as an Olympic sport, opening the door for sustainable development and globalization.

This is the final step for Vovinam to have the opportunity to be considered for inclusion in the list of official competitions at major sporting events, the most important of which is the Olympics. Close cooperation with organizations such as VADA and IOC in previous tournaments has demonstrated Vovinam's commitment to clean and honest sports, creating a solid foundation for this goal. Taking WADA and IOC as strategic goals shows that WVVF is aiming to build a transparent, professional and responsible global Vovinam system, creating a solid foundation for long-term development.

Present in more than 70 countries and territories

Held in a famous cultural tourist destination like Bali, the 2025 World Championship is a bridge to promote the quintessence of Vietnamese Martial Arts to international friends. Vovinam is not only a martial art but also a national intangible cultural heritage of Vietnam. Through performances, rituals and competitive spirit, the World Championship contributes to introducing the good values ​​of this martial art, thereby attracting more people to practice and love Vovinam around the world.

After more than 85 years of formation and development, Vovinam has spread far beyond the borders of Vietnam, present in more than 70 countries and territories. Each world championship (held every 2 years) is not only a place for top martial artists to compete, but also an opportunity for international friends to clearly feel the quintessence of Vietnamese culture - where martial spirit, compassion and strong will are blended in every move.

Vovinam has been and is an important and effective ambassador and means of cultural diplomacy of Vietnam to promote the image of the country, people and culture of Vietnam with strong national identity to international friends through festivals and cultural and social events held in Vietnam and internationally, a great pride of the Vietnamese people in particular and martial arts fans around the world in general.

The 2025 World Championship is the most important playground for the world's top martial artists to demonstrate their talent, technique and martial spirit. For national teams, especially the Vietnamese Vovinam team, the tournament is an opportunity to affirm their leading position, after the successes in national tournaments in 2025. This event is also the most accurate measure of Vovinam's professional level in the international arena.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/vovinam-va-giac-mo-olympic-179250.html