Nghe An rattan bridge: Needs a "push" to develop

(Baonghean) - Sepak takraw was introduced into the Nghe An Sports Department for training and high-performance competition in 1998. Since then, generations of Sepak takraw athletes in the province have made great efforts in training and competing, winning many medals. However, to develop effectively, strong investment in facilities and human resources is needed.

Currently, Nghe An Sepak Takraw is training in the following categories: doubles, teams and beach Sepak Takraw, for both men and women. However, as at the national team level, Nghe An women's Sepak Takraw is given priority. Currently, Nghe An Sepak Takraw team has 19 athletes participating in training, including 12 women and 7 men. And the achievements of Nghe An Sepak Takraw so far mainly come from the skillful feet of the girls.

In 2010, at the 6th National Sports Festival, Nghe An Sepak Takraw won 1 gold medal, 2 silver medals and 2 bronze medals. In 2011, at the national Sepak Takraw tournaments, Nghe An Sepak Takraw won 2 gold medals, 1 silver medal, 3 bronze medals. In 2012, it won 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal, 5 bronze medals. In 2013, it won 1 gold medal, 3 silver medals, 1 bronze medal. The reason why Nghe An Sepak Takraw's performance this year has declined is because the main athlete in the doubles event, Nguyen Thi Hoa, suffered a knee injury and had to rest for surgery.

Not only achieving high results in national sepak takraw tournaments, Nghe An sepak takraw also contributes many outstanding faces to the national team competing in regional and international competitions. Every year, Nghe An sepak takraw contributes 4-5 athletes to the national team and especially in 2013, there are 8 Nghe An athletes in the national teams, including 6 women and 2 men. They are: Nguyen Thi Quyen, Dinh Thuy Hang, Nguyen Thi Hoa, Nguyen Thi Mo, Tran Hong Nhung, Truong Kieu Trinh (women), Nguyen Quoc Anh, Nguyen Truong Quyet (men). Among them, athletes Nguyen Thi Quyen, Dinh Thuy Hang and Nguyen Thi Hoa have won world gold medals in the women's team and women's doubles with their teammates. In addition, Nghe An sepak takraw also contributes another important face to the national team, that is coach Hoang Huu Nghia - who has played an important role in rejuvenating the national sepak takraw team in recent years.

Sepak Takraw athletes practice at the Provincial Sports Service and Competition Center.

But in reality, the development of this sport in our province still faces many difficulties. Unlike football, volleyball, badminton and martial arts, the socialization of Sepak Takraw in Nghe An is very limited. Currently, this sport is only developed at the Provincial Sports Training Center, and for most people, it is still quite unfamiliar, even among young people.

In 2009 and 2010, the Sports Department boldly hosted the national beach sepak takraw championship in Cua Lo town, but the effectiveness of promoting this sport was not as expected. Along with the limitation in socialization, the lack of junior sepak takraw tournaments in the province is also the reason why it is difficult to find talents.Currently, Sepak Takraw has not been introduced to schools or Phu Dong Sports Associations, so when looking for talented athletes, coaches have to go to the localities themselves to recruit. In addition, compared to other localities that are strong in Sepak Takraw, the number of athlete training targets for Sepak Takraw is quite small (currently there are 19 athletes, while provinces such as Soc Trang, Quang Ninh, Thanh Hoa, Dong Nai... have nearly 30 athletes), so selecting athletes to participate in national competitions is difficult.

In addition, the training conditions for sepak takraw athletes are still limited. Coach Ho Minh Thuan - who is in charge of the Nghe An sepak takraw team, said: "Currently, the Nghe An sepak takraw athletes still do not have their own training place but have to practice in the Provincial Sports Service and Competition Center, along with volleyball, sepak takraw, and petanque, so it is very cramped and the athletes are easily distracted during practice. That is not to mention that every time there are sports tournaments at this center, the athletes have to go outside to practice or rest. In addition, the athletes currently do not have a training regimen in the field to change the atmosphere or to exchange and compete with athletes from other provinces and cities."

However, the Nghe An Sepak Takraw athletes still try to overcome all difficulties to practice and compete well. Young athlete Nguyen Thi My (born in 1998) confided: “I have been involved in Sepak Takraw for 2 years and determined to pursue this sport for a long time. Just being able to practice on the field with my friends and being selected to compete in national youth tournaments makes me very happy. I will try my best to contribute to bringing good results to the Nghe An Sepak Takraw team as well as to be called up to the national team in the future”. Hopefully, along with the passion and efforts of the athletes, the provincial Sports Department also needs to pay attention to reviewing policies and investing more focusedly so that Sepak Takraw athletes have training conditions and receive treatment commensurate with their achievements.

Minh Quan