Create a sports playground for war invalids

(Baonghean) - Even though they have to permanently leave a part of their body on the battlefield, even though they have to endure pain and hardship every day due to injuries, like other normal people, war invalids also have the need to participate in physical activities and sports. Because exercising properly is also a "miracle drug" that helps to relieve pain, live optimistically, love life, and make contributions to the community and society...

In Phong Toan block (Ha Huy Tap ward, Vinh city), everyone knows Mr. Thai Khac Hoang (born in 1952), not only is he active in social activities but also a war invalid who actively practices physical exercise and sports. In 1972, in a battle in the Central Highlands, he was hit by an artillery shell, losing an arm and injuring his leg. After being discharged from the army and returning to his hometown, from the late 1980s, he started practicing badminton. Mr. Hoang said that at first, he encountered many difficulties due to his disability, but with the encouragement of everyone and with the enthusiasm of a soldier, he made an effort to practice badminton and has been involved in this sport ever since. A former teacher at Huynh Thuc Khang High School (Vinh city), after retiring, he was one of the people who campaigned to establish the Vinh City Association for the Disabled (founded in December 2012).

In addition to encouraging, helping and creating opportunities for people with disabilities to overcome difficulties, strive to study culture, learn a trade and work in production, Mr. Hoang and members of the association's executive board and the club's management board encourage people with disabilities in the city to actively participate in cultural, physical and sports activities. Mr. Hoang confided: "I practice sports to maintain my health and to fulfill my wish to promote sports training for war invalids in particular and people with disabilities in general. Sports also give me the opportunity to interact and meet friends, comrades and teammates. The health brought by sports training helps me and people in the same situation overcome physical pain, live healthily, and join the development and progress of the country every day."

Disabled soldier Thai Khac Hoang practices badminton every day.

Currently, the need for physical exercise and sports of people with disabilities in general and war invalids in particular in the city is quite large, and there have been many examples of war invalids actively practicing physical exercise and sports to live happily and healthily, such as Mr. Nguyen Cuong Trang (born in 1943, in Trung Hoa block, Ha Huy Tap ward), a 2/4 war invalid who regularly plays table tennis; Mr. Tran Nguyen Phong (born in 1953, living in Yen Toan block, Ha Huy Tap ward), who lost one leg but still regularly plays badminton... According to Mr. Hoang, in addition to sports such as chess, chess, sports that require physical strength and movement such as table tennis, badminton, wheelchair racing, cycling racing... are very difficult for war invalids in training and competing. However, if they are truly passionate and strive to overcome difficulties, sports will bring war invalids a lot of joy in life, helping them forget their physical pain and daily disability complexes to live more optimistically and usefully.

At Nghe An War Invalids Nursing Center, 72 wounded and sick soldiers from Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces are currently being treated, including 65 seriously wounded and sick soldiers (disability rate of 81% or more), 41 wounded and sick soldiers infected with Agent Orange. When mentioning the center, many people immediately think of seriously wounded soldiers who have to rely on the care of officers, doctors and nurses every day, not knowing that many wounded soldiers here are examples of overcoming the pain of disability. This is shown in the fact that they not only try to be self-reliant in part of their daily lives, but also actively participate in cultural and sports activities. Here, since the late 1990s, there has been a volleyball team of more than 10 wounded soldiers - people who spend most of their time in wheelchairs every day.

Until now, time and age have made the team no longer have many members and they do not practice as often as before. But many of them, besides actively exercising every day, still occasionally play volleyball together at the center's volleyball court, such as Ngo Xuan Kien (born in 1947), Nguyen Van Don (born in 1952), Nguyen Dinh Sau (born in 1954)... Besides volleyball, many disabled soldiers at the center camp also seek other sports suitable for their physical conditions such as: chess, table tennis, wheelchair racing... They are not only role models for disabled soldiers and the movement of self-training, but also demonstrate the spirit and temperament of Uncle Ho's soldiers.

It is known that, depending on the level of disability, to improve health, war invalids can participate in many sports such as chess, badminton, table tennis, wheelchair racing, swing racing, billiards, swimming, tug of war, slow cycling, etc. To create a healthy and useful playground, create conditions for war invalids to integrate into the community, at the same time promote the movement of physical training and improve the spiritual life of war invalids, sick soldiers, veterans, some provinces such as Thanh Hoa, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Kien Giang, etc. have organized sports competitions for war invalids. However, in our province, for a long time, there has not been any sports competition specifically organized for people with disabilities in particular and war invalids in general, although Nghe An is a province with a very large number of war invalids (more than 40 thousand people), leading to limited sports training movement for this group. It is thought that localities and relevant departments and branches need to pay more attention to organizing more physical training and sports activities specifically for war invalids to further improve the effectiveness of implementing policies for people with meritorious services and the quality of the gratitude movement in a practical and meaningful way.

Minh Quan