The mass sports movement is vibrant.

(Baonghean)For many years, Con Cuong has been recognized as one of the districts with a strong mass sports movement, featuring sports such as volleyball, table tennis, and badminton.

Every afternoon, the home of Mr. Nguyen Viet Thai in Block 3, Con Cuong Town, is filled with the sounds of table tennis. Around 5-7 veteran players regularly gather here, like a club, to practice together. Most of the players are over 45 years old, but their strokes are still skillful and their topspin shots powerful. Although there are only two table tennis tables, the players take turns playing and sparring with each other. Laughter and conversation blend with the rhythm of the game, creating a lively atmosphere in this quiet area along the banks of the Lam River.

At Mr. Thai's "club" at his home, players in their 60s, such as Mr. Vu Van Thong, Mr. Nguyen Van Binh, and Mr. Tran Manh Hung, have previously trained together and competed in amateur sports tournaments at the district and provincial levels. As a retired sports teacher, Mr. Nguyen Viet Thai "chooses to participate in this club as a way to relax every day," he shared. Furthermore, Mr. Thai's son, Nguyen Viet Phu, is currently a physical education teacher at Con Cuong Ethnic Boarding High School and a well-known tennis player, having participated in and won a Silver Medal at the Central Region Student Tournament when he was still teaching at Vinh University.

During the summer holidays, when teachers are not teaching at school, Mr. Phu opens a table tennis training class for children in the town, with three training sessions per week. Thus, the atmosphere at Mr. Thai's "club" is filled not only with adults but also with the cheerful laughter of children whenever they learn a new spin serve... It is known that not only the two table tennis tables at Mr. Thai's house, but also more than 20 table tennis tables in other families in Con Cuong town regularly have amateur athletes practicing, creating a vibrant movement within families. In addition, the district has built 48 football fields and 120 volleyball courts in various communes and towns. Nearly 2,460 families in the entire district have achieved the standard of "sports families," and 34 sports clubs have been established in various sports. Therefore, Con Cuong is also one of the strongest districts in the province in terms of family sports movements. At the Family Sports Tournament held in Vinh City in 2012, the Con Cuong team won 1 Gold Medal, 1 Silver Medal, and 1 Bronze Medal.

An exciting volleyball match at the Con Cuong District Sports Festival in 2013.

While table tennis is a family sport in Con Cuong, badminton is a popular office sport. Civil servants go to work daily and then gather at their office's badminton court in the evenings to practice and compete. Almost every agency and unit in the district has a badminton court, and 60% of civil servants regularly practice there.

Furthermore, volleyball is also a sport with a strong development movement. In remote communes like Binh Chuan and Thach Ngan, many people regularly play volleyball, and on every occasion of the district-wide sports festival or local competitions, there are always fierce matches between the commune teams. The teams from the town, Binh Chuan, Mau Duc, and Mon Son are always strong contenders, taking the top spots. At these tournaments, hundreds of spectators crowd around the playing field to watch, and it is the spectators who further fuel the sports movement in this mountainous district.

Speaking with us, Mr. Tran Dinh Duc, Director of the Con Cuong District Cultural and Sports Center, said: “The mass sports movement in Con Cuong district has been strongly encouraged and developed in recent years. The Culture Department of the District People's Committee has also collaborated with the Cultural and Sports Center to organize many tournaments, averaging 6-8 tournaments per year for amateur athletes to interact and promote sports training among the people.”

Text and photos: Thai Anh