Highlights of Vietnamese Sports in 2014

2014 was a year in which Vietnamese sports made its mark on the continental stage. However, there are still issues that the sector needs to urgently address to meet the expectations of fans.

Let's review some of the outstanding achievements of Vietnamese sports over the past year.

1. Withdrawing from hosting the 18th Asian Games - A difficult but reasonable decision.

On April 17, 2014, at a meeting concerning the hosting and preparation for the 18th Asian Games (ASIAD) in 2019, the Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hanoi People's Committee, to urgently work with the Asian Olympic Council and relevant partners to develop a suitable plan to withdraw from hosting ASIAD 18 in Hanoi. Vietnam will host ASIAD at a more appropriate time.

This decision demonstrates the government's willingness to listen to the people's opinions after careful consideration of various factors, even though it was not an easy decision.

2. The Vietnamese Sports Delegation participating in the 17th Asian Games.

The Vietnamese sports delegation at the ASIAD in Incheon, South Korea.

With 199 athletes (97 men, 102 women) competing in 21 sports, the Vietnamese sports delegation aims to win 2-3 gold medals at the 17th Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19th to October 4th, 2014.

In the end, the Vietnamese delegation only won 1 gold medal (female Wushu martial artist Duong Thuy Vi), 10 silver medals, and 25 bronze medals, ranking 21st out of 36 medal-winning delegations out of 45 participating delegations.

However, some good achievements in basic sports such as swimming, athletics, gymnastics, etc., have been highly appreciated by experts.

3. The 7th National Sports Congress in 2014

The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism declared the National Sports Congress open.

With 36 competitive sports (743 sets of medals), the 7th National Sports Congress was held in many localities, with Nam Dinh being the main host city for both the opening and closing ceremonies.

At this Games, 63 out of 65 delegations won medals. Athletes set 57 new national records and broke 158 Games records.

However, the lack of professional competitiveness, the large scale of the event, and the continued pursuit of achievements are issues that the sports sector needs to consider as the 8th National Sports Congress is scheduled to be held in An Giang in 2018.

4. Vietnam receives the flag to host the 2016 Asian Beach Games.

Vietnam receives the flag to host ABG 2016.

Although Vietnam did not host the 2019 Asian Games, it still hosted a major continental sporting event – ​​the 5th Asian Beach Games (ABG) in 2016.

The flag for hosting the Beach Games was handed over to Vietnam by the Asian Olympic Council at the closing ceremony of ABG IV held in Phuket, Thailand in November.

5. Vietnamese athletes set a world record at the Asian Para Games.

Disabled weightlifter Le Van Cong achieves a remarkable feat. Photo: ANTĐ

The 2014 Asian Para Games were also held in Incheon, South Korea, right after the 17th Asian Games concluded. The Vietnamese delegation competed in only 6 sports but won 9 gold medals, 7 silver medals, and 13 bronze medals, far exceeding the medal target.

Among the achievements of the Vietnamese delegation at the Games, noteworthy are one world record in weightlifting by athlete Le Van Cong (men's 49kg category) and swimmer Vo Thanh Tung winning 5 gold medals in all 5 events he participated in.

6. The U19 men's football team - A breath of fresh air for the king of sports.

The U19 team received praise from the fans.

In 2014, the U19 national football team continued to receive great attention from fans with impressive performances at the Ho Chi Minh City Four-Team Cup, the Southeast Asian U19 Championship (Hanoi), the Brunei King's Cup, the Asian U19 Championship Finals in Myanmar, and the Thanh Nien Newspaper International U21 Tournament (Can Tho).

With their dedicated style of play, the U19 national team has attracted fans to the stadiums and become a new hope for Vietnamese football in the near future.

7. The women's national football team reached the semi-finals of a continental tournament for the first time.

The Vietnamese women's national team played a very good match against Thailand in the quarter-finals of the 17th Asian Games (afternoon of September 26). Photo: VTV

2014 was also a truly memorable year for the women's national team, filled with mixed emotions of joy, sadness, and regret.

The fact that the 2014 AFC Women's Championship (which also served as the qualifying round for the 2015 Women's World Cup) was held at Thong Nhat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City was seen as a historic opportunity for the Vietnamese women's national team to participate in the World Cup for the first time. However, losing 1-2 to Thailand in the decisive match, the Vietnamese women's team missed their chance to qualify for the World Cup.

Later, at the 17th Asian Games, coach Mai Duc Chung's team defeated the Thai women's national team and reached the semi-finals for the first time in a continental tournament.

8. The failure of the men's national team at the AFF Cup

Miura's players lost to Malaysia 2-4 and were eliminated in the semi-finals.

Entering the fray rather quietly at a time when the U19 national team was attracting the most attention from fans, the men's national football team, under the guidance of Japanese coach Toshyia Miura, began its quest to conquer the Southeast Asian Gold Cup, also the biggest regional tournament of the year.

Despite a less-than-impressive start to the group stage (a 2-2 draw against Indonesia in the first match), after winning against Laos (in the second match) and especially after defeating the Philippines 3-1 to qualify for the semi-finals, Coach Miura's players began to "warm up" on the pitch and attract special attention from fans.

In the semi-finals, the Vietnamese team will face the Malaysian team.

In the first leg of the semi-final away from home, the Vietnamese national team won 2-1, and their ticket to the final of the AFF Suzuli Cup 2014 seemed secure as they would play the second leg at My Dinh Stadium.

However, the unexpected happened: on home soil, Miura's team lost to Malaysia 2-4 and were eliminated.

The match at My Dinh Stadium on December 11th was a "shocking" game for Vietnamese fans.

9. Many young faces shine.

Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (far right) won a bronze medal in the 400m individual medley and a bronze medal in the 200m backstroke at the 17th Asian Games.

Leaving a strong mark on a busy year for Vietnamese sports was the brilliance of talented young athletes. Most notably, 18-year-old swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien stood out, winning medals in every competition she participated in.

Ánh Viên won a gold medal at the 2nd World Youth Olympic Games; two bronze medals at the 17th Asian Games; 18 gold medals (17 individual gold medals, 1 team gold medal) and broke 3 national records and 11 Games records while representing the Army team at the 7th National Sports Games.

Besides them are other notable figures: Thach Kim Tuan (weightlifting - silver medal at the 17th Asian Games); Quach Thi Lan (athletics - silver medal at the 17th Asian Games); Nguyen Anh Khoi (world champion in U12 boys' chess)...

Young athletes are the hope for Vietnamese sports.

According to chinhphu.vn