Quynh Luu: Strong movement, high achievements

(Baonghean) - In the Nghe An province's Culture, Sports and Tourism Development Project for the period 2010-2020, Quynh Luu district was planned by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to build a sports talent school and develop key sports such as football, sepak takraw, martial arts, swimming, athletics... to provide athletes for the province, while also upgrading facilities to form a cultural and sports center for the coastal area. This stems from the strong sports movement that the district has built up over many years...

Almost a week ago, the closing ceremony of the 2014 Quynh Luu District Television Cup Tennis Tournament took place in Cau Giat Town. Although it was a district-level tournament, only held for the second time, its scale was comparable to any provincial-level tennis tournament. Nearly 100 athletes from clubs across the province, including the Nghe An Provincial Tennis Club and the tennis clubs of Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, and Tan Ky districts, participated, competing in four categories: men's doubles (under 40 years old), men's doubles (over 40 years old), men's doubles for administrative leaders, and men's doubles for business leaders. Over the four days of the tournament (December 20-23), the matches were lively and of high quality. The organizing committee raised over 200 million VND, donating many valuable gifts to disadvantaged families in the district.

A match at the 2014 Quynh Luu District Beach Volleyball Tournament.

The Quỳnh Lưu District Television Cup Tennis Tournament is not the only sporting event organized by Quỳnh Lưu District that has strong social participation and takes place on a large scale. Mr. Đặng Ngọc Kim, Director of the Quỳnh Lưu District Sports Center, said: “Every year, the sports sector, in coordination with the Education Department, the District Youth Union, the Radio and Television Station, the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Women's Union, the District Police, the Labor Union, the Farmers' Association, the Senior Citizens' Association... organizes 8-10 large-scale sports tournaments, such as: the traditional Tiền Phong 27/3 Cross-Country Race; the Television Cup Youth Football Tournament; the Golden Rice Volleyball Tournament; the Badminton Tournament for officials and employees; the Swimming and Rescue Tournament…”

All tournaments receive enthusiastic support from businesses located in the area and a large number of people, thanks to which the scale, organization, and prizes are becoming increasingly systematic and professional. Among them, the Quỳnh Lưu Television Cup Children's Football Tournament is the largest annual traditional sports event in the district, with the most participating players, the most enthusiastic spectators, and the biggest prize. In 2014, the tournament saw the participation of all 33 communes and towns with over 300 athletes. Through 19 editions, this is not only a beneficial playground for the youth of Quỳnh Lưu district during the summer but also a way to discover and train many outstanding Vietnamese football players such as Dương Hồng Sơn, Lê Công Vinh, Hoàng Văn Bình, Nguyễn Ngọc Anh…”.

In particular, sports facilities in Quynh Luu district have been built on a large scale. These include a district stadium with a total area of ​​16,000 m2, classified as level 2; a training and competition hall with an area of ​​1,350 m2 and a capacity of over 1,000 seats; and two tennis courts, with a total investment of nearly 2 billion VND.

The most noteworthy aspect of sports in Quynh Luu is not just the visible infrastructure, but the comprehensive and in-depth development of the mass sports movement. It can be said that, through rich and diverse activities from the district level to the grassroots, following a socialized approach and tailored to specific target groups, the sports movement in Quynh Luu has spread throughout residential areas, households, agencies, schools, organizations, and across all age groups. On average, each locality organizes 4-6 sports competitions annually. Besides competitions in familiar sports such as men's football, volleyball, and badminton, in recent years, many communes like Quynh Hoa and Tan Son have also organized vibrant women's football tournaments, attracting a large number of athletes.

In mountainous communes like Tan Son, since 2011, women's football tournaments have been organized annually for women of all ages. Currently, 10 villages in the commune have formed 10 teams with their own uniforms and training schedules; every day, around 5 pm, after finishing their farm work, the women gather for training. Further south, coastal communes like Quynh Nghia and Quynh Long annually organize traditional boat races at the beginning of spring, creating a vibrant atmosphere for labor and production at the start of the new year, while also contributing to preserving the traditional culture of the coastal people. As of 2013, the entire district had over 208,300 people regularly participating in sports and physical activities, accounting for 33%; 22.7% achieved the title of "Sports Family"; and nearly 60 sports clubs were established.

Another notable aspect of the sports movement in Quynh Luu is the school sports movement. Mr. Le Thanh Hien, Deputy Head of the Education and Training Department of Quynh Luu District, stated: “For many years, the Education Department has directed schools throughout the district to strengthen the organization of sports development activities such as extracurricular activities based on interests, physical exercises before and during breaks, recreational games, physical games during breaks, and extracurricular training sessions with school teams serving the "Phu Dong Sports Festival" at all levels and the district's gifted classes. Notable examples include Quynh Hong, Quynh Ba, and Quynh Van Secondary Schools, and Quynh Giang and Quynh Minh Primary Schools…”.

Thanks to the development of the school sports movement and effective coordination with the Department of Education, the District Sports Center consistently maintains the training and nurturing of sports talents through its gifted classes every year. Since the beginning of 2013, even though the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism no longer provides funding to districts for organizing amateur gifted classes, Quynh Luu district still maintains 6 amateur gifted classes, including 2 athletics classes, 1 football class, 1 swimming class, 1 sepak takraw and taekwondo class, with over 300 students. Each year, 20-25 talented athletes in various sports are selected and provided to the Provincial Sports Training Center, Song Lam Nghe An Football Club, and other sports clubs nationwide.

At provincial-level competitions, athletes from Quynh Luu also performed excellently, affirming the position of the district's sports, especially at the Provincial Sports Festivals. At the 5th Provincial Sports Festival in 2005, the Quynh Luu team ranked second overall with 56 medals (22 gold, 19 silver, and 15 bronze); at the 6th Provincial Sports Festival in 2010, the Quynh Luu sports team excellently won 55 medals (25 gold, 14 silver, and 16 bronze), ranking first overall.

At the 7th National Sports Festival in 2014, despite the reduced number of athletes from Quynh Luu district in some strong disciplines such as athletics and cross-country running after the separation of Hoang Mai town, the Quynh Luu team still won 24 gold medals. Along with the Vinh City team, they had the highest number of gold medals in the entire province, ranking second overall with a total of 50 medals. With a systematic approach and clear direction, it is believed that in the coming time, the sports movement in Quynh Luu will continue to develop strongly, deserving its position as a regional sports center in the coastal area.

Minh Quan