The mark of high-performance sports in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - In 2023, athletes in high-performance sports disciplines under the Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center achieved impressive results, contributing to affirming the position of Nghe An sports in domestic and international arenas.
Precious Gold Medals
At the 2023 National Weightlifting Championships held from December 18-21 in Ho Chi Minh City, athlete Pham Thi Hong Thanh from Nghe An province excellently won 3 gold medals in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift events in the 76kg weight category. With this achievement, athlete Pham Thi Hong Thanh broke the previous national records set by athlete Nguyen Thi Hang Nga from Soc Trang province in 2020.
Pham Thi Hong Thanh's impressive achievement at the National Weightlifting Championships capped off a relatively successful year for Nghe An's high-performance sports. According to a report from the Nghe An Sports Training and Competition Center – the unit responsible for training over 300 athletes in 21 high-performance sports in the province – in 2023, Nghe An athletes won over 440 medals at domestic and international competitions (137 Gold medals, 128 Silver medals, and 173 Bronze medals), including 3 medals at the World Championships, 21 medals at the Asian Championships, 14 medals at the Southeast Asian Championships, and 97 medals at the National Championships.
Among these, the most commendable are the gold medals won by the sepak takraw athletes.Nguyen Thi Myat world and Asian championships. At the Sepak Takraw World Championships held in July 2023, Nguyen Thi My, along with her teammates Ngo Thi Ngoc Quynh, Nguyen Thi Yen, Tran Thi Hong Nhung, Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, and Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, successfully defended their World Championship title in the women's four-person team event.
More specifically, at the 2023 Asian Games held last October, in her first time captaining the team at an international tournament, Nguyen Thi My, along with athletes Tran Thi Ngoc Yen, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen, Nguyen Thi Yen, Le Thi Tu Trinh, and Tran Thi Hong Nhung, defeated the Indonesian team in the final of the 4-person team event to win a historic gold medal after 17 years, since the 2006 Asian Games.
Another impressive figure in Nghe An's high-performance sports scene in 2023 was the diver.Nguyen Trong DungFollowing her remarkable achievements in 2022 (winning 2 Gold and 1 Silver medals at the World Diving Cup; winning 2 Gold medals at the 9th National Sports Games, including a national record), this athlete from Hung Nguyen continued to win 2 Gold medals at the 2023 Asian Diving Championships and 2 Gold medals at the 32nd SEA Games.
Besides Nguyen Thi My and Nguyen Trong Dung, 2023 was also a very successful year for several other athletes in international competitions such as Nguyen Viet Ngoc Hiep (Gold Medal in Karatedo at the 32nd SEA Games), Tran Thi Lan (Gold Medal at the Southeast Asian Taekwondo Championships), Nguyen Thi Tu Anh (2 Gold Medals at the Asian Junior Diving Championships), Le Thi Tuyet Mai (4 Gold Medals at the Southeast Asian Junior Athletics Championships)...
The remarkable achievements of the province's high-performance sports teams are partly due to the province's attention through preferential mechanisms and policies. A prime example is Resolution No. 11/2021/NQ-HĐND on the Regulations on Special Nutrition Regimes and Support Policies for High-Performing Coaches and Athletes in Nghe An Province. Accordingly, the expenditure on nutrition for coaches and athletes during training camps and the financial support policies for high-achieving coaches and athletes have significantly improved since 2022 compared to before.
Challenges that need to be overcome
However, the development of high-performance sports in the province still faces many difficulties, primarily in terms of infrastructure. During surveys on training, coaching, and the implementation of policies for athletes and sports coaches in the province this year, members of the Provincial People's Council pointed out that the infrastructure for training and developing human resources in sports in the province is still inadequate and limited.
Currently, at the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center, many martial arts disciplines have their training facilities located in Vinh Stadium or are conducted outdoors. This is in addition to the severe shortage of training equipment for many disciplines, which has received virtually no significant upgrades in recent years.
Furthermore, Ms. Tran Thi My Hanh, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports, added: “In the past, some central ministries and agencies have raised the issue of organizing national and regional sports competitions in President Ho Chi Minh's hometown, but after surveying, the province's facilities are not adequate. The North Central Sports Complex, planned for over 170 hectares many years ago, has not yet been implemented, which has somewhat affected the improvement of infrastructure.”
Furthermore, Nghe An currently has a very small pool of high-achieving athletes, with only over 300 athletes receiving government benefits, making it difficult to meet the professional demands of the current period. This results in a lack of competition for overall team rankings among the 21 teams participating in national championships, as there aren't enough athletes to compete in multiple events within a single tournament.
On the other hand, for the Nghe An High School for Gifted Athletes, although it has two functions—cultural education and training of talented athletes—the school is currently not fulfilling the task of training talented athletes.
According to the sports development plan outlined in the Provincial Planning until 2030, with a vision to 2050, Nghe An aims to become a center for training and selecting talents in key sports in the North Central region, and also a center for supporting national-level sports performance training.
To overcome difficulties and limitations in order to achieve the above objectives, according to the Director of the Department of Culture and Sports, Tran Thi My Hanh, in the coming time, the provincial Department of Culture and Sports will focus on reviewing current policies of the Government and the province, along with the requirements for sports development, to proactively and actively advise the province on strong policies and mechanisms to create a new image for Nghe An worthy of its potential. Along with that, the Department of Culture and Sports will continue to focus on building professionalism in organization, training, coaching, and education.
Goals for high-performance sports in Nghe An province for the period 2026 - 2030:
- Aim to have 700 athletes, 84 coaches, 7-10 international referees, 20-30 national referees, and 200 provincial-level referees.
- Striving to participate in 65-85 domestic and international competitions annually, winning 270-320 medals of all kinds (including 18-20 gold medals at the national championships); achieving 66 medals at the 10th National Sports Games, including 18 gold medals, 18 silver medals, and 30 bronze medals, ranking 15th-13th overall; aiming for 73 medals at the 11th National Games, including 19 gold medals, 20 silver medals, and 34 bronze medals, ranking 13th-10th; achieving 3-5 medals at the 34th SEA Games in 2027; achieving 5-7 medals at the 35th SEA Games; achieving 1-2 medals at the 2030 Asian Games; and having at least 2 athletes participating in the national team at the 2028 Olympics.
