Exciting farmers' sports movement in Nghia Dan
(Baonghean) -Along with promoting poverty eradication and building a new life, the physical education and sports movement of Nghia Dan farmers is developing strongly with many types: football, volleyball, badminton, pole pushing...
When the last rays of sunlight had just faded, all the hamlets of Nghia Son commune became crowded and bustling. Especially at the communal volleyball courts, there were easily hundreds of people gathered here to participate and cheer for the communal volleyball team in the friendly competition.
Turning to the nearby Nghia Lam commune stadium, the farmers were engrossed in a fierce and intense football match. They watched for a long time but still couldn’t see the referee, while the score kept changing rapidly. The goalkeeper named Hai took the opportunity to explain when his team was pressing the other team: “The whole village is an athlete, so everyone here is a referee and everyone is fair. It’s mainly about training and socializing. As for the rules, we just learn and teach each other. If we don’t understand something, we can ask the commune cultural officer and he will explain it clearly. There will never be a big argument.”
According to statistics from the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Nghia Dan district, 25.5% of the population in the district regularly practices sports, of which farmers account for 50%. Tournaments are no longer at the district, commune, or town level but down to the villages, hamlets, associations, and branches. Most localities such as Nghia Binh, Nghia Hoi, Nghia Son, Nghia Lam, Nghia Minh, Nghia Yen... have established farmer soccer and volleyball teams. From soccer fields throughout the Nghia Dan countryside, the sports movement has developed widely, greatly changing the face of the countryside, gradually reducing social evils...
Nghia Dan pole pushing team (left) competes at Lang Vac Festival.
Through witnessing some volleyball and football matches in Nghia Dan district, we can clearly see the enthusiasm and competitive spirit of the farmer players. They do not have tricks or many moves like professional players, but with their passionate and enthusiastic competitive spirit, they have created drama until the last minutes. Athlete Tran Duc Hanh - Hamlet 12, Nghia Trung commune confided: "Every day, after hours of hard work with my family, I and my young friends in the hamlet invite each other to the hamlet's yard to play volleyball. This sport movement is loved by farmers in my hometown. Therefore, winning or losing is not important, as long as we play with all our heart."
The “Golden Rice” volleyball tournament and the farmers’ football tournament have become an annual traditional tournament organized by the Farmers’ Association of Nghia Dan district, becoming increasingly attractive, as a stimulant to enrich rural sports life. From the farmers’ sports movements, sports factors have been discovered, many players have been selected into the typical squad of the commune and district and participated in competitions organized by the province.
In Nghia Dan, not only football and volleyball but many other sports are also attracting many farmers to participate, or at least they are active supporters or "logistics" for the football team. Talking about the farmers' sports movement, Mr. Luong Ba Vien - Director of the District Culture, Sports and Tourism Center said: "Currently, we have hundreds of football teams, volleyball teams, badminton teams, crossbow shooting teams, and stick pushing teams. At the recent Sports Festival at all levels, farmers were a spearhead in the competition and won many high prizes. Particularly at the Provincial Sports Festival, Nghia Dan farmer athletes brought home 4 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 2 bronze medals (mainly in stick pushing)".
To have such a strong movement, those working in the field of physical education and sports in Nghia Dan district must persevere in building it for many years, coordinating with local authorities, organizations and agencies to mobilize. According to Mr. Luong Ba Vien, the farmers' physical education and sports movement here has developed very strongly thanks to many years of mobilization, the masses have become aware of the role of physical education and sports in daily life. In addition to playing sports for health, they also find here an environment to exchange and share production experiences, educate children and social behavior.
There are still many difficulties, but grassroots sports activities have really entered the lives of farmers in all villages and hamlets in Nghia Dan. These activities have helped farmers improve their spiritual life, expand their exchanges and friendships, and learn from each other. Ms. Truong Thi Hong, a farmer who has participated in pole pushing competitions many times, bringing home prizes for Nghia Dan district, confided: "Going to pole pushing competitions is also an opportunity to meet athletes and other farmers in the district and the province, so we can exchange with each other many valuable experiences in sports as well as in animal husbandry, production, and child rearing... It's fun, seeing friends do well, I learn, if I do better, I tell them how to do it."
Hoang Nguyen (Culture Magazine)
