(Baonghean.vn) - On the evening of April 28th, the Opening Ceremony of the 7th Nghe An Provincial Sports Festival – 2013 was solemnly held at the Vinh City Sports Center gymnasium.
Attending the event, from the central government and neighboring provinces were: Mr. Tran Van Tuan - Deputy Director General of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, Vice President of the Vietnam Olympic Committee; Mr. Duong Chit Chang Xay Vang - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Deputy Governor of Xieng Khouang Province; representatives of leaders from departments, bureaus, and institutes under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and representatives of leaders from the Departments of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, Thai Nguyen, and Hoa Binh provinces.
Representing Nghe An province were: Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duong – Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Major General Nguyen Sy Hoi – Deputy Commander of Military Region 4; Ms. Dinh Thi Le Thanh - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Steering Committee for the 7th Provincial Sports and Physical Education Congress in 2014; members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairmen of the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee, representatives of leaders from departments, agencies, leaders of districts, cities and towns, along with a large number of citizens, students and pupils.
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| Carrying the national flag |
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| Sports flag procession. |
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| Carrying a portrait of Uncle Ho |
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| Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong read President Ho's call for physical exercise. |
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| Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong lit the torch at the opening ceremony. |
Comrade Dinh Thi Le Thanh delivered the opening speech at the congress.
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| Delegates salute the flag at the opening ceremony. |
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| The procession of red flags. |
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| A parade of the armed forces. |
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| The referees took an oath. |
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| Provincial leaders presented flowers to the delegations. |
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| Provincial leaders presented commemorative flags to the delegations. |
The opening ceremony of the Games began with a parade showcasing the strength of the athletes, with the participation of over 900 athletes. Following the parade, the traditional torch of the Games was carried from the Soviet-Nghe Tinh Museum by 9 outstanding athletes from the Provincial Sports Training Center and the Song Lam Nghe An Football Club. On behalf of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee, Comrade Nguyen Xuan Duong – Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee – lit the Games' flame.
In her opening remarks at the Congress, Ms. Dinh Thi Le Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, acknowledged and highly appreciated the progressive changes in the province's sports and physical education movement over the past years, especially the results in organizing sports and physical education congresses at all levels; the attention and assistance of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the General Department of Sports and Physical Education, and localities nationwide; and the effective coordination of various sectors and organizations in developing the province's sports and physical education movement. The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requested that: In order for the 7th Nghe An Provincial Sports and Physical Education Congress – 2014 to truly be a competition for outstanding athletes, thereby affirming the position of the sports and physical education movement of the localities, and at the same time selecting and supplementing outstanding athletes for the provincial team to participate in the National Sports and Physical Education Congress held in Nam Dinh province in December 2014, athletes need to compete with a spirit of solidarity, enthusiasm, honesty, and sportsmanship; The referees upheld a high sense of responsibility, working fairly, objectively, honestly, and in accordance with the rules.
At the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duong, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, read President Ho Chi Minh's call for all citizens to participate in physical exercise. The opening ceremony concluded with a cultural program and mass performance to welcome the Congress, themed "Nghe An Sports Reaching New Heights," featuring over 550 students from Vinh University.
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| Group performance |
Some photos from the opening ceremony of the National Sports Games.
The 7th Nghe An Provincial Sports Festival attracted nearly 2,000 athletes from 24 delegations representing districts, cities, the Provincial Police, the Provincial Military, and the Agriculture and Rural Development sector. The athletes competed in two stages: The pre-festival stage (February 28th – April 17th) featured nine sports: stick pushing, freestyle wrestling, cross-country running, karate, men's volleyball, beach volleyball, table tennis, and sepak takraw; the festival stage (May 11th – May 16th) included nine sports: women's volleyball, athletics, swimming, sepak takraw, petanque, badminton, chess, archery, and tug-of-war.
Text: Minh Quân; Photos:Sy Minh
