Vietnamese table tennis faces challenges at SEA Games 30

Vietnam's strengths

Thus, the men's team event in which we are holding the gold medal at the 29th SEA Games will not have a chance to be repeated. This is the strength and also the historic gold medal of Vietnamese table tennis since participating in the SEA Games in 1989.

For a long time, the host countries of the SEA Games have chosen the events based on the criteria of how to promote their own strengths and limit the advantages of their opponents. Events in the Olympics or Asiad can be completely eliminated from the competition program for incomprehensible reasons.

The men's team event in which we are holding the gold medal at the 29th SEA Games will not have a chance to be repeated. Photo VTV

Almost all SEA Games countries in the region have more or less reacted to the host country, but all have to accept it if the host country does not change its decision. Countries have to wait for their turn to host, a vicious cycle that has been going on for decades.

Not being the strongest country in table tennis, the possibility of a “blank” gold medal at the upcoming SEA Games has been raised. According to Mr. Phan Anh Tuan, Head of the Table Tennis Department (General Department of Sports and Physical Training of Vietnam): Currently, the opportunity to win the championship at the upcoming SEA Games for Vietnamese table tennis is focusing on the men's doubles, mixed doubles and men's singles.

Racing with Singapore and Thailand

When it comes to table tennis in Southeast Asia, Singapore is a strong candidate for the championship in all competitions. Thailand is the second-ranked country in the region in table tennis. The reason why Singapore has failed in some recent SEA Games and could not win all the gold medals is because they often send many young players to compete alongside experienced players. In particular, at the 29th SEA Games, the Singapore men's team lost to Vietnamese players in the final match.

In the men's doubles and mixed doubles categories, Vietnamese table tennis has had athletes win the SEA Games championship, such as the pair Vu Manh Cuong - Ngo Thu Thuy at the 2001 SEA Games, or the pair Dinh Quang Linh - Doan Kien Quoc at the 2009 SEA Games. Before that, Vietnamese table tennis often considered the doubles category as the "land" to explore for the SEA Games championship. But clearly, in the "crowded" situation like the upcoming SEA Games, it is not easy to achieve the goal.

Tennis player Nguyen Anh Tu was once the Southeast Asian champion, but with his current poor form, Anh Tu has little chance of winning the SEA Games. Photo VTV

In the men's singles category, tennis player Nguyen Anh Tu was once the Southeast Asian champion, but with his current poor form, Anh Tu is unlikely to win the SEA Games. Therefore, the problem of focusing on training tennis players in the doubles category is being calculated in detail by Chinese coaches.

To avoid the “you guys, I guys” lawsuits that have been going on for many years, the criteria for selecting the table tennis team is considered public, transparent and suitable to reality. Accordingly, only the players in the top 4 in the singles category at the

2019 National Championship and 1 new player selected by the coaching staff to be part of the team.

The only problem is that if the good doubles players do not achieve good results in the 2019 National Championship, it will be difficult for the coaching staff. Because the doubles content requires pairing players who have played together for a long time.

To avoid being left empty-handed, we have no choice but to accept the game and sweat on the practice floor. Singapore or Thailand are still the regional table tennis powerhouses, but that does not mean we are hopeless.