Transformation of sports movement in Do Luong

(Baonghean) - At previous sports festivals, Do Luong was not a highly rated locality. But in the two recent festivals, Do Luong has made remarkable changes, especially in some sports such as karate,petanque, wrestling...

Before the 7th Provincial Sports Festival officially opened, on the medal tally, the sports delegation of Do Luong district was firmly in fourth place with 6 gold medals, 4 silver medals and 3 bronze medals. This was a completely unexpected result and beyond the expectations of many localities, because only 8 years ago at the 5th Sports Festival in 2006, Do Luong sports was ranked seventeenth (nearly second to last). However, after only four years of preparation, at the 6th Sports Festival in 2010, Do Luong improved 7 positions and is now continuing to take steady steps to become one of the units with many opportunities to achieve high rankings at the 2014 Sports Festival.

The 7th Sports Congress of Do Luong district.

Regarding the reasons for the previous failure, Mr. Nguyen Kim Nam, Director of the District's Center for Culture, Information and Sports, is the person who knows best. More than anyone, he understands that at that time, Do Luong had difficulty building a strong sports force when from the district to the grassroots level there were no specialized staff with enough expertise, enthusiasm and dedication. Therefore, after the failure at the 5th Sports Festival, one of the first tasks that the district focused on investing in was the human resource issue. Therefore, the number of sports staff of the Center for Culture and Sports has increased rapidly, from one person to five people, all of whom were well-trained at sports universities or graduated from prestigious universities in sports majors.

At the same time, the district focuses on finding a team of grassroots athletes and creating conditions for athletes to attend training sessions at the provincial Sports Training Center (7-8 athletes per year). This is not only an opportunity for athletes to strive to become high-performance athletes but also an opportunity for athletes to compete and practice in a professional competition environment. The two athletes Nguyen Sy Dat and Hoang Dinh Doan who just won the Gold Medal in Wrestling at the 7th National Sports Festival are the most specific evidence of the district's effective approach. This is also the first time Do Luong district has won a high prize in this sport, surpassing many strong opponents of Nam Dan district right in the homeland of wrestling.

The grassroots sports movement has also been focused on and invested in. The Sports Festival recently held in 33 communes and towns is an example. This is the first time an activity has attracted such a large number of people from the communes, with more than 21,000 people participating in the opening ceremonies. Although according to general regulations, commune-level festivals only need to conduct 5 events, 15 communes have organized festivals with 6 or more events. In particular, the Sports Festival in communes and towns has received the support of a large number of people, with nearly 1.5 billion VND in socialized funding to support the festival, and the total value of prizes awarded to athletes is 340 million VND.

To see more clearly the grassroots sports movement in Do Luong, we went to Thinh Son commune and were led by Mr. Thai Khac Mao, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, to see the cultural and sports facilities that have been invested in by the hamlets in recent years, including many projects worth hundreds of millions of VND such as the Cultural Houses of Hamlet 3, Hamlet 11, Hamlet 9, Hamlet 4. Currently, 15/15 hamlets have volleyball teams, many hamlets have installed high-pressure lamps in the cultural houses to be able to organize matches in the evening. On average, the commune organizes at least 3 sports tournaments a year such as the volleyball tournament to celebrate the Party and welcome Spring, the football tournament for the youth and children... Most recently, at the District Sports Festival, Thinh Son commune also had many outstanding achievements in women's volleyball, stick pushing, tug of war...

In addition to building new movements, Do Luong district also invests and focuses on the district's strong sports. For example, in karate, in addition to rebuilding karate clubs in communes, the district has organized a separate team, focusing on talented individuals for investment and training. Thanks to that, not only has the number of clubs increased in communes with thousands of people participating in training, but the commune's athlete team has also matured and progressed rapidly. That is why, in karate at this year's Provincial Sports Festival, Do Luong won nearly half of the gold medals and affirmed its number one position in this sport. Talking about the rapid growth of Do Luong sports in recent years, Mr. Nguyen Kim Nam, Director of the district's Culture, Information and Sports Center, emphasized the role of the district government, especially the material concern for athletes. Thanks to that attention, Do Luong district has changed in thinking and action, from not really paying attention to sports activities to considering this an important task, one of the criteria to evaluate the position and strength of the district.

Article and photos:My Ha